• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2021

Objectives: This research aimed to identify the level of perception, knowledge, preventive behavior, and factors affecting preventive behavior of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease against particulate matter. Methods: This research was a descriptive survey research, and the subjects were chronic pulmonary disease patients over the age of 19 and under 80 who visited a university hospital in Daegu City. Data was collected by convenience sampling through structured self-administered questionnaire survey from December 2019 to January 2020, and a total of 212 copies were used for analysis. Results: Out of 212 total subjects, 112 were asthma patients (52.8%) and 100 were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients (47.2%). The average score (out of 10) of perception, knowledge and preventive behavior of patients with asthma for particulate matter was 7.92, 6.99, and 7.10, respectively, while those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease scored 7.72, 6.24, and 6.80, respectively. The knowledge score was significantly higher in patients with asthma than those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p=0.007). Factors affecting particulate matter preventive behavior were perception score, knowledge score, and age for asthma patients, and perception score for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Conclusions: As a result of the above, the factors relate to the preventive behavior of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were perception score, knowledge score, and age for asthma, and perception score for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Raising the level of particulate matter preventive behavior can prevent the deterioration of chronic pulmonary diseases caused by particulate matter, so the development of arbitration programs considering the characteristics of the patients according to the disease and continuous and repetitive education are required.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.339-346
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• 2006

Background: There has no known epidemiologic survey on the frequency of complementary-alternative medicine (CAM) use in the treatment of adult asthma in Korea. This study examined the current use of CAM by asthma patients in Korea. Methods: One hundred adults with asthma, who had been admitted to Kyunghee university hospital between January 2000 and December 2003, were enrolled in this survey. They received a structured questionnaire interview and a clinical assessment of prevalence and pattern of CAM use. Results: 53% patients had an experience of at least one type of CAM during their asthma management. Users of CAM had more hospital visits than those who had never used CAM($1.46{\pm}0.68$ vs. $2.11{\pm}1.20$, p=0.001). Those in their $50^{th}$ decades had more experience of CAM (80%) than the other age groups. The methods of CAM used by our patients are as follows: Diet/nutritional therapy in 35 patients(69%), herbal therapy in 28 patients(53%), acupuncture in 9 patients(17%), moxa treatment in 6 patients(11%), breathing exercises in 1 patient(2%). Conclusions: More than 50% of patients with bronchial asthma have used CAM. A more detailed and large scaled study will be needed to define the actual status of the use of CAM in the treatment for asthma. Inaddition, further research on the scientific validation of the clinical efficacy of CAM in asthma management should be followed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.79 no.4
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• pp.295-301
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• 2016

Background: Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) sensitization to staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) has been recently considered to be related to allergic disease, including asthma. Despite studies on specific IgE (sIgE) to SE and its relationship to asthma diagnosis and severity, the association of sIgE to SE with airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) remains unclear. Methods: We enrolled 81 asthma patients admitted to the Severance Hospital in Korea from March 1, 2013, to February 28, 2015 and retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of the enrolled subjects. The serum levels of sIgE to SE (A/B) of all subjects was measured using the ImmunoCAP 250 (Phadia) system with SE-sIgE positive defined as >0.10 kU/mL. Results: The SE-sIgE level was not significantly correlated with asthma severity (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [$FEV_1$], $FEV_1$/forced vital capacity, sputum eosinophils, and serum eosinophils), whereas the SE-sIgE level in patients with positive AHR ($mean{\pm}standard$ error of the mean, $0.606{\pm}0.273kU/mL$) was significantly higher than that in patients with negative AHR ($0.062{\pm}0.015kU/mL$, p=0.034). In regression analysis, SE sensitization (sIgE to SE ${\geq}0.010kU/mL$) was a significant risk factor for AHR, after adjustment for age, sex, $FEV_1$, and sputum eosinophils (odds ratio, 7.090; 95% confidence interval, 1.180-42.600; p=0.032). Prevalence of SE sensitization was higher in patients with allergic rhinitis and non-atopic asthma patients, as compared to patients without allergic rhinitis and atopic asthma patients, respectively, but without statistical significance. Conclusion: SE sensitization is significantly associated with AHR.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.77 no.6
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• pp.237-242
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• 2014

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airway that comprises a variety of etiologies and inflammatory phenotypes. Clinically, there is a wide range of patients with varying severities and responses to individual drugs. The introduction of inhaled corticosteroid therapy has dramatically changed the treatment of asthma. Recent development of new therapies suggests the possibility of another breakthrough. These can be categorized as follows: anti-cytokine therapies that usually target eosinophilic inflammation, sublingual immunotherapy, and bronchial thermoplasty. In this paper, we will review the major articles related to asthma treatment that were published in 2013.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2009

The myosin light chain kinase (MYLK) gene encodes both smooth muscle and nonmuscle cell isoforms. Recently, polymorphisms in MYLK have been reported to be associated with several diseases. To examine the genetic effects of polymorphisms on the risk of asthma and related phenotypes, we scrutinized MYLK by re-sequencing/genotyping and statistical analysis in Korean population (n = 1,015). Seventeen common polymorphisms located in or near exons, having pairwise $r^2$ values less than 0.25, were genotyped. Our statistical analysis did not replicate the associations with the risk of asthma and log-transformed total IgE levels observed among African descendant populations. However, two SNPs in intron 16 (+89872C> G and +92263T> C), which were in tight LD (|D'| = 0.99), revealed significant association with log-transformed blood eosinophil level even after correction multiple testing ($P=0.002/P^{corr}=0.01$ and $P=0.002/P^{corr}=0.01$, respectively). The log-transformed blood eosinophil levels were higher in individuals bearing the minor alleles for +89872C> G and +92263T> C than in those bearing other allele. In additional subgroup analysis, the genetic effects of both SNPs were much more apparent among asthmatic patients and atopic asthma patients. Among atopic asthma patients, the log-transformed blood eosinophil levels were proportionally increased by gene-dose dependent manner of in both +89872C> G and +92263T> C(P = 0.0002 and P = 0.00007, respectively). These findings suggest that MYLK polymorphisms might be among the genetic factors underlying differential increases of blood eosinophil levels among asthmatic patients. Further biological and/or functional studies are needed to confirm our results.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.555-563
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• 1999

Background: Chronic cough is a common symptom that requires the systematic diagnostic approach for proper evaluation. Postnasal drip syndrome(PNDS), bronchial asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD), and chronic bronchitis are among the common causes. This study was conducted to evaluate the spectrum and the frequency of the causes of chronic cough. Methods: We prospectively evaluated 93 patients who had chronic cough despite normal chest radiographic finding. History and physical examination were done along with paranasal sinus radiograph, spirometry, bronchoprovocation test and 24-hours' ambulatory aesophageal pH monitoring as necessary. Results: Forty-nine(52%) of the 93 patients had PNDS, 15 patients(16%) bronchitis, 10 patients(11%) asthma, 4 patients (4%) GERD, 7 patients (8%) both PNDS and asthma, 4 patients (4%) undiagnosed condition and 4 patients(4%) were taking ACE inhibitor. Sixty-nine percent of the patients with PNDS improved after follow up, 73% patients with bronchitis, 80% patients with asthma, 50% patients with GERD, 100% patients with both PNDS and asthma, and 100% patients with ACE inhibitor. Conclusion: PNDS was the most common causes of chronic cough. Bronchitis was the second and asthma the third in frequency. The etiology of chronic cough can be determined easily by history and physical examination, successful therapy initiated in most patients. The response to specific therapy also was important in evaluation of chronic cough.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.22-34
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• 2021

The coronavirus pandemic, known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an infectious respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus first identified in patients from Wuhan, China. Since December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has spread swiftly around the world, infected more than 25 million people, and caused more than 800,000 deaths in 188 countries. Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) appear to be risk factors for COVID-19, however, their prevalence remains controversial. In fact, studies in China reported lower rates of chronic respiratory conditions in patients with COVID-19 than in the general population, while the trend is reversed in the United States and Europe. Although the underlying molecular mechanisms of a possible interaction between COVID-19 and chronic respiratory diseases remain unknown, some observations can help to elucidate them. Indeed, physiological changes, immune response, or medications used against SARS-CoV-2 may have a greater impact on patients with chronic respiratory conditions already debilitated by chronic inflammation, dyspnea, and the use of immunosuppressant drugs like corticosteroids. In this review, we discuss importance and the impact of COVID-19 on asthma and COPD patients, the possible available treatments, and patient management during the pandemic.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.229-238
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• 2021

Background: Bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), an important physiological feature of asthma, is a prognostic marker of childhood asthma. Purpose: We aimed to investigate the factors associated with BHR in adolescents with childhood asthma. Methods: Two hundred and fifteen adolescents (≥13 years of age; 149 males, 66 females) who were diagnosed with asthma during childhood were enrolled, underwent methacholine challenge tests, and were divided into the BHR group (<25 mg/mL of provocation concentration causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV₁] [PC₂₀], n=113) or non-BHR group (≥25 mg/mL of PC₂₀, n=102). We examined longitudinal changes in BHR and the risk factors for its persistence in the 108 adolescents for whom baseline data, including methacholine PC₂₀ at age 6 years, were available. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the factors associated with BHR in adolescents. Results: Mold sensitization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.569; P=0.005) and increased blood eosinophil count (aOR, 1.002; P=0.026) were independently associated with BHR in boys but not girls. The odds of BHR decreased by 32% with each 1-year increase in age in boys (aOR, 0.683; P=0.010) but not girls. A reduced FEV₁/forced vital capacity ratio (<90%) was independently related with BHR in female patients only (aOR, 7.500; P=0.007). BHR decreased with age throughout childhood. A low methacholine PC₂₀ at age 6 years was independently associated with persistent BHR throughout childhood in male and female patients, whereas early mold sensitization was a risk factor for persistent BHR in male patients only (aOR, 7.718; P=0.028). Conclusion: Our study revealed sex-specific differences in the factors associated with BHR in adolescents with childhood asthma. Our findings suggest the risk factors that might affect asthma transition from childhood to adolescence and adulthood.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.335-339
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• 2007

The link between upper airway disease (allergic rhinitis and sinusitis) and lower airway disease (asthma) has long been of interest to physicians. Many epidemiological and pharmacological studies have provided a better understanding of pathophysiologic interrelationship between allergic rhinitis and asthma. The vast majority of patients with asthma have allergic rhinitis, and rhinitis is a major independent risk factor for asthma in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The association between sinusitis and asthma has long been appreciated. Through the recent evidences, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, and asthma may not be considered as different diseases but rather as the expression in different parts of the respiratory tract of same pathological process in nature. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the relationship between asthma and upper airway diseases, but the underlying mechanisms are not completely discovered. The implications for the one-airway hypothesis are important not only academically but also clinically for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.235-241
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• 2007

Background: Airway mucus hypersecretion plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma, and is associated with the induction of MUC5AC expression in airway secretion. The MUC5AC gene is highly polymorphic; however, there are few studies about the association between the polymorphisms of the MUC5AC gene and asthma susceptibility or asthma phenotypes. We have investigated the association of MUC5AC promoter polymorphisms with the risk of asthma and asthma phenotypes. Methods: We determined the genotypes of the MUC5AC promoter (-1274G>A) in 78 asthma patients and in 78 age, sex-matched control individuals in the Korean population. Genomic DNAs from blood were analyzed by PCR and RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) determination. We examined $FEV_1$, total eosinophil count, serum IgE level, $PC_{20}$ and the presence of atopy (by a skin test) in asthma patients. Results: The mean age of the patients was $47.7{\pm}16.1$ years and 38.5% were men, and the mean $FEV_1$ was $84.4{\pm}22.3%$ of predicted in the asthma patients. The -1274G>A polymorphism of the MUC5AC promoter in asthma patients was not significantly different as compared with normal individuals (GG 57.7%, AG 34.6% and AA 7.7% in asthma patients vs. GG 56.4%, AG 38.5% and AA 5.1% in control subject, p = 0.752, Cod). Several clinical parameters in asthma patients such as $FEV_1$, total eosinophil count, serum IgE level, $PC_{20}$ and the presence of atopy, were not associated with the -1274G>A polymorphism of the MUC5AC promoter. Conclusion: The -1274G>A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequency of the MUC5AC promoter was not associated with asthma in a Korean population.