Abstract

PIRES, João R. Nunes et al. Quality of asthma relief therapy prescription in primary health care. Rev Port Imunoalergologia [online]. 2023, vol.31, n.4, pp.271-279.  Epub Dec 30, 2023. ISSN 0871-9721.  https://doi.org/10.32932/rpia.2023.12.125.

The 2020 update of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) brought some updates regarding the pharmacological management of asthmatic patients. Noteworthy is the recommendation of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) as a control therapy to reduce the exacerbation risk for ages above 12 years old, as well as the caution about the inherent risk concerning the isolated use of short-acting beta-agonists (SABA) as reliever medication, which should be replaced or associated with ICS from the earliest stages of the disease. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of the prescription of reliever medication for mild-to-moderate asthma in a Primary Health Care unit. Simultaneously, the analysis of demographic data, risk factors and pulmonary function tests was carried out for the same sampled population. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study of internal evaluation that included all users enrolled in a healthcare unit, aged 12 years old and above, coded with asthma as an active problem and with reliever medication prescribed in the last 2 years. Results: 271 patients were included in the study after applying the above criteria. Most had no ICS included in reliever medication (72.5%), of which 87.9% were prescribed with SABA alone. Almost half (45.8%) had no record of any previous spirometry. The most prevalente risk factors observed were allergic rhinitis, obesity and smoking. Conclusions: The prescription of reliever medication for most users does not meet current international recommendations, increasing the risk of associated exacerbations, hospitalizations and mortality. It was also possible to assess the reduced codification of asthma, the poor assessment and/or reassessment of lung function with spirometry and the high prevalence of well-known modifiable risk factors, in which early medical intervention plays a major role.

Keywords : Asthma; lung function; primary health care; therapeutics.

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