Age at asthma diagnosis is related to prevalence and characteristics of asthma symptoms

Hanna Hisinger-Mölkänen, MD; Jasmin Honkamäki, MD; Hannu Kankaanranta, MD, PhD; Leena Tuomisto, MD, PhD; Helena Backman, PhD; Heidi Andersen, MD, PhD; Ari Lindqvist, MD, PhD; Lauri Lehtimäki, MD, PhD; Anssi Sovijärvi, MD, PhD; Eva Rönmark, PhD; Paula Pallasaho, MD, PhD; Pinja Ilmarinen, PhD; Päivi Piirilä, MD, PhD

World Allergy Organization Journal (Sep 2022)

Age at asthma diagnosis is related to prevalence and characteristics of asthma symptoms

Hanna Hisinger-Mölkänen, MD,
Jasmin Honkamäki, MD,
Hannu Kankaanranta, MD, PhD,
Leena Tuomisto, MD, PhD,
Helena Backman, PhD,
Heidi Andersen, MD, PhD,
Ari Lindqvist, MD, PhD,
Lauri Lehtimäki, MD, PhD,
Anssi Sovijärvi, MD, PhD,
Eva Rönmark, PhD,
Paula Pallasaho, MD, PhD,
Pinja Ilmarinen, PhD,
Päivi Piirilä, MD, PhD

Affiliations

Hanna Hisinger-Mölkänen, MD: Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Corresponding author.
Jasmin Honkamäki, MD: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
Hannu Kankaanranta, MD, PhD: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland; Krefting Research Centre, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Leena Tuomisto, MD, PhD: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
Helena Backman, PhD: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/ the OLIN Unit, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Heidi Andersen, MD, PhD: Karolinska University Hospital, Thoracic Oncology Unit, Tema Cancer, Stockholm, Sweden
Ari Lindqvist, MD, PhD: Clinical Research Unit of Pulmonary Diseases, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
Lauri Lehtimäki, MD, PhD: Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland; Allergy Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
Anssi Sovijärvi, MD, PhD: Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Unit of Clinical Physiology, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
Eva Rönmark, PhD: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine/ the OLIN Unit, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Paula Pallasaho, MD, PhD: Espoo City Health Services, Espoo, Finland
Pinja Ilmarinen, PhD: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland
Päivi Piirilä, MD, PhD: Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Unit of Clinical Physiology, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 15, no. 9
p. 100675

Abstract

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Background: Although asthma may begin at any age, knowledge about relationship between asthma age of onset and the prevalence and character of different symptoms is scarce. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate if adult-diagnosed asthma is associated with more symptoms and different symptom profiles than child-diagnosed asthma. Methods: A FinEsS postal survey was conducted in a random sample of 16 000 20-69-year-old Finnish adults in 2016. Those reporting physician-diagnosed asthma and age at asthma diagnosis were included. Age 18 years was chosen to delineate child- and adult-diagnosed asthma. Results: Of responders (N = 8199, 51.5%), 842 (10.3%) reported asthma diagnosis. Adult-diagnosed asthma was reported by 499 (59.3%) and child-diagnosed by 343 (40.7%). Of responders with adult-diagnosed and child-diagnosed asthma, 81.8% versus 60.6% used asthma medication (p < 0.001), respectively. Current asthma was also more prevalent in adult-diagnosed asthma (89.2% versus 72.0%, p < 0.001). Risk factors of attacks of breathlessness during the last 12 months were adult-diagnosis (OR = 2.41, 95% CI 1.64–3.54, p < 0.001), female gender (OR = 1.49, 1.07–2.08, p = 0.018), family history of asthma (OR = 1.48, 1.07–2.04, p = 0.018) and allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.49, 1.07–2.09, p = 0.019). All the analysed asthma symptoms, except dyspnea in exercise, were more prevalent in adult-diagnosed asthma in age- and gender-adjusted analyses (p = 0.032-<0.001) which was also more often associated with 5 or more asthma symptoms (p < 0.001) and less often with non-symptomatic appearance (p < 0.001) than child-diagnosed asthma. Conclusion: Responders with adult-diagnosed asthma had more often current asthma and a higher and multiform asthma symptom burden, although they used asthma medication more often compared to responders with child-diagnosed asthma.

Published in World Allergy Organization Journal

ISSN: 1939-4551 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Specialties of internal medicine: Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/world-allergy-organization-journal

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