Leading causes of bronchial asthma exacerbation

Abstract

Introduction: Bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases. The frequency of occurrence differs from country to country, ranging from 1-18%.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes leading to exacerbation of bronchial asthma.Material and Methods: Α prospective observational study. The studied sample consisted of 82 patients who attended the emergency department or hospitalized in pulmonary clinics of Athens General Hospital, due to exacerbation of bronchial asthma. For data collection a specific registration form was used. Data analysis was performed with the statistical package Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).Results: Twenty two patients (26.8%) were male. The majority of patients (37.8%, n=31) were aged 46-65 years old. There were no statistically significant differences among patients admitted to the hospital for asthma exacerbation, during the last year and factors such as smoking, type of occupation, place of residence and pet ownership. Statistically significant correlation was found between patients who were trained for taking their medication, those who comply with medical orders and history of asthma exacerbation during the last year, (p<0.05).Conclusions: Patients suffering from bronchial asthma education is an integral part of disease prevention and treatment strategies with a view to comply with medication treatment.