scholarly journals Evidence for lifestyle interventions in asthma

Breathe ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. e50-e61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isobel Stoodley ◽  
Lily Williams ◽  
Cherry Thompson ◽  
Hayley Scott ◽  
Lisa Wood

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airways disease, estimated to affect 300 million people worldwide. Asthma management plans focus on optimisation of asthma pharmacotherapy. Lifestyle interventions also hold great promise for asthma sufferers as they are accessible, low cost and have minimal side-effects, thus making adherence more likely. This review explores lifestyle interventions that have been tested in asthma, including improving nutrition, increasing physical activity and introduction of relaxation therapies such as yoga and massage therapy. Available evidence suggests a protective effect of increasing fruit, vegetable and wholegrain intake and increasing physical activity levels in asthma. Weight loss is recommended for obese asthmatic patients, as just 5–10% weight loss has been found to improve quality of life and asthma control in most obese asthmatic patients. Other lifestyle interventions such as meditation, yoga and massage therapy show promise, with positive effects on asthma seen in some studies. However, the study protocols are highly variable and the results are inconsistent. Additional research is needed to further develop and refine recommendations regarding lifestyle modifications that can be implemented to improve asthma.Key pointsImproving diet quality, by increasing fruit, vegetable and wholegrain intake and reducing saturated fat intake, should be recommended in asthma, as there is evidence suggesting that this leads to improvements in airway inflammation, asthma control and exacerbation risk.Regular physical activity should be promoted for people with asthma, as it can improve quality of life and lung function, as well as general health.In obese asthmatic patients, weight loss should be recommended, as it leads to numerous health benefits, including improvements in asthma. Even small amounts of weight loss in adults (5–10% body weight) have been shown to improve asthma quality of life and asthma control in the majority of people with asthma.There is some evidence of benefit of meditation, yoga and breathing exercises for adults with asthma, while massage therapy shows promise in children with asthma. However, the evidence is inconsistent and more research is needed to make definitive recommendations.Educational aimsTo summarise current knowledge on lifestyle interventions in asthma.To improve awareness of how lifestyle modification can be used in asthma management.To identify areas for future research on lifestyle interventions in asthma.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten Van Herck ◽  
Martijn Spruit ◽  
Chris Burtin ◽  
Remco Djamin ◽  
Jeanine Antons ◽  
...  

The 2018 update of the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention does not mention fatigue-related symptoms. Nevertheless, patients with asthma frequently report tiredness, lack of energy, and daytime sleepiness. Quantitative research regarding the prevalence of fatigue in asthmatic patients is lacking. This retrospective cross-sectional study of outpatients with asthma upon referral to a chest physician assessed fatigue (Checklist Individual Strength-Fatigue (CIS-Fatigue)), lung function (spirometry), asthma control (Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ)), dyspnea (Medical Research Council (MRC) scale), exercise capacity (six-minute walk test (6MWT)), and asthma-related Quality-of-Life (QoL), Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) during a comprehensive health-status assessment. In total, 733 asthmatic patients were eligible and analyzed (47.4 ± 16.3 years, 41.1% male). Severe fatigue (CIS-Fatigue ≥ 36 points) was detected in 62.6% of patients. Fatigue was not related to airflow limitation (FEV1, ρ = −0.083); was related moderately to ACQ (ρ = 0.455), AQLQ (ρ = −0.554), and MRC (ρ = 0.435; all p-values < 0.001); and was related weakly to 6MWT (ρ = −0.243, p < 0.001). In stepwise multiple regression analysis, 28.9% of variance in fatigue was explained by ACQ (21.0%), MRC (6.5%), and age (1.4%). As for AQLQ, 42.2% of variance was explained by fatigue (29.8%), MRC (8.6%), exacerbation rate (2.6%), and age (1.2%). Severe fatigue is highly prevalent in asthmatic patients; it is an important determinant of disease-specific QoL and a crucial yet ignored patient-related outcome in patients with asthma.



2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 2214
Author(s):  
Nikhil Jain ◽  
Karan Joshi

Background: Asthma is a common cause of morbidity and mortality with prevalence of 300 million in world. The QOL of asthmatic patients cannot be determined only on the basis the severity of the disease, but requires a measurement of personal perception. This study was conducted with the aim to assess and compare the QOL using PedsQl scale in asthma patients between 5 to 18 years of age with different demographic and clinical variables.Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted at respiratory clinic in tertiary hospital, Rewa from October 2017 to June 2019. A total number of 150 asthmatic patients and their parents participated. Asthmatic patients (N=150) and their parents, presenting to asthma clinic of Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Rewa (after applying inclusion-exclusion criteria) were assessed for QOL using PedsQl scale 3.0. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS version 20. Test of significance by student T-test and one way ANOVA.Results: The QOL is severely hampered by asthma with mean of 59 in intermittent asthma, 51 in mild, 44.74 in moderate and 40 in severe persistent asthma, significant p value of <0.05. Younger age, level of asthma control and severity were significantly related to QOL with p value of <0.05. Sex, socioeconomic status, were insignificantly related.Conclusions: QOL is impaired as the grading of asthma increases. Impairment of Quality of life are mostly associated with low level of asthma control, poly-therapy and frequent night attacks.



Thorax ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. thoraxjnl-2019-213936
Author(s):  
Rubén Andújar-Espinosa ◽  
Lourdes Salinero-González ◽  
Fátima Illán-Gómez ◽  
Manuel Castilla-Martínez ◽  
Chunshao Hu-Yang ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe relationship between asthma and vitamin D deficiency has been known for some time. However, interventional studies conducted in this regard have shown conflicting results.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in asthmatic patients in improving the degree of control of asthma.MethodsRandomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study in adult asthmatic patients with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3 <30 ng/mL. The intervention group received oral supplementation with 16 000 IU of calcifediol per week, and the control group had placebo added to their usual asthma treatment. The study period was 6 months. The primary endpoint was the degree of asthma control as determined by the asthma control test (ACT). Secondary endpoints included quality of life measured using the mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, the number of asthma attacks, oral corticosteroid cycles, the dose of inhaled corticosteroids, number of emergency visits, unscheduled consultations with the primary care physician and hospitalisations for asthma.ResultsOne hundred and twelve patients were randomised (mean age 55 years, with 87 (78%) being women). Of the 112 patients, 106 (95%) completed the trial. Half the patients (56) were assigned to the intervention group and the other half to the control group. A statistically significant clinical improvement was observed in the intervention group (+3.09) compared with the control group (−0.57) (difference 3.66 (95% CI 0.89 to 5.43); p<0.001) as measured using ACT scores. Among the secondary endpoints, a significant improvement in the quality of life was found in the intervention group (5.34), compared with the control group (4.64) (difference 0.7 (95% CI 0.15 to 1.25); p=0.01).ConclusionAmong adults with asthma and vitamin D deficiency, supplementation with weekly oral calcifediol compared with placebo improved asthma control over 6 months. Further research is needed to assess long-term efficacy and safety.Trial registration numberNCT02805907.



2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-409
Author(s):  
Daniela Duarte Costa ◽  
Paulo Márcio Pitrez ◽  
Nathália Foltz Barroso ◽  
Cristian Roncada


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (17) ◽  
pp. 2780-2785
Author(s):  
Hala G. Elnady ◽  
Lobna S. Sherif ◽  
Rania N. Sabry ◽  
Dina Abu Zeid ◽  
Hanan Atta ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Asthma is considered a chronic health illness that not only resulted in physical symptoms but also emotional effects. It is; therefore, so important to assess the quality of life of asthmatic patients besides their level of disease control. AIM: To determine the correlation of asthma control with the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of asthmatic children in Egypt. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-eight asthmatic Egyptian children were enrolled in the study. They were subjected to asthma severity grading, asthma control questionnaire (ACQ) and pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (PAQLQ). Studied cases were taken from 6 primary and preparatory schools, Giza governorate. RESULTS: The mean child control score was significantly higher in not well-controlled asthmatics compared to well-controlled asthmatics (p < 0.005). The not well controlled asthmatic children showed significantly lower activity limitation score, symptoms score, and overall asthmatic score compared to controlled asthmatic children (p < 0.05). The severity of asthma shows significant positive correlation with symptoms score, emotional function score and overall asthmatic score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The quality of life for the asthmatic children is strongly correlated with the level of asthma control and severity.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soraia Nogueira Felix ◽  
Rosana Camara Agondi ◽  
Marcelo Vivolo Aun ◽  
Clarice Rosa Olivo ◽  
Francine Maria de Almeida ◽  
...  

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the clinical evolution, functional parameters and inflammatory activity of asthma in patients who submitted to an educational intervention. 58 adult patients over 18 years of age with partly controlled and uncontrolled asthma were randomized into an intervention group (IG) (N = 32) and a control group (CG) (N = 26) and evaluated for 12 weeks. The Asthma Control Test (ACT), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ), Asthma Quality Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires were applied. Spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide (NO), exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and induced sputum (IS), measurement of the peak flow and symptoms were performed. The IG patients received an educational activity for 30 minutes applied by a nurse. Statistical analysis: analysis of variance with repeated intragroup measures. IG presented a decreased number of eosinophils in IS and IL-17A in EBC, an increase in the percentage of FEV1 after bronchodilatation and an improvement in quality of life compared to the CG. There was an improvement in depression levels and a decrease in IL-4 and IL-5 in the IS and in the EBC in the IG compared to the CG. Our results suggest that an educational intervention can bring benefits concerning the control of inflammation, lung function alterations, quality of life and levels of depression in asthmatic patients. Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03655392.



2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Reinmann ◽  
Simone Chantal Gafner ◽  
Roger Hilfiker ◽  
Anne-Violette Bruyneel ◽  
Zoltan Pataky ◽  
...  

IntroductionBariatric surgery leads to loss of fat and fat-free mass (FFM). To preserve FFM it is recommended that weight loss interventions are accompanied by physical activity. However, it remains unknown if functional capacities spontaneously improve after a substantial weight loss. Study’s aim was to assess the effect of bariatric surgery on strength, functional capacities and quality of life of participants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m2.MethodAnthropometric parameters (weight, BMI, waist circumference), physical functions (quadriceps strength, walking capacity, spatio-temporal gait parameters, dynamic balance, lower limb power) and quality of life were assessed before and at three months after the bariatric surgery in 33 individuals who did not follow any physical activity program.ResultsThe anthropometric parameters, quality of life and three functional abilities (walking capacity, normal gait speed and lower limb power) improved significantly three months post-surgery. In contrast, fast gait speed, absolute strength, normalized strength, and dynamic balance did not improve.DiscussionA massive weight loss should be accompanied by an exercise program aiming to maintain FFM and to enhance muscle strength and balance. Such a program might also enhance functional capacities and help to sustain the weight loss over time.



2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 687-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Gils Contreras ◽  
Anna Bonada Sanjaume ◽  
Nerea Becerra-Tomás ◽  
Jordi Salas-Salvadó


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-49
Author(s):  
Mallory Netz ◽  
David A Fedele ◽  
Rachel Sweenie ◽  
Dawn Baker ◽  
Michael Light ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective To examine how asthma control is related to the association between the division of responsibility for asthma management and asthma-related quality of life among early adolescents. Methods Forty-nine youth aged 10–15 years (Mage = 12.25, 57.1% female) with a physician-verified asthma diagnosis completed the Standardized Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) and Asthma Control Test (ACT). Youth and their caregivers also completed the Asthma Responsibility Questionnaire (ARQ). Higher ACT scores indicate better asthma control. Results There was a significant difference in ARQ scores between youth and caregivers (p &lt; .001, d = .94). Youth reported sharing equal responsibility for asthma management with caregivers, while caregivers reported having more responsibility relative to youth. Greater youth-reported ARQ (p = .004) and greater ACT scores (p &lt; .001) were associated with higher PAQLQ scores. ACT scores moderated the effect of youth-reported ARQ on PAQLQ scores (p = .043). For youth with lower ACT scores, higher youth-reported responsibility was associated with higher PAQLQ scores; while for youth with higher ACT scores, PAQLQ scores were high regardless of perceived responsibility. The interaction between caregiver ARQ scores and ACT scores was not significant. Conclusion This study suggests youth and caregivers report discrepant ARQ for asthma management tasks. Responsibility and level of asthma control are important factors for PAQLQ, with results indicating that fostering responsibility is an important factor, even among youth with poorly controlled asthma. Findings suggest that healthcare providers should assess family responsibility and help caregivers support adolescents in developing asthma management skills.



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