Adverse respiratory outcomes amongst patients with resolved asthma: matched retrospective cohort study (19 January 2024)

Summary

This study in the British Journal of General Practice aimed to assess the risk of poor respiratory outcomes for people with resolved asthma compared to those with active asthma and people without asthma. The authors used three retrospective cohorts of around 16,000 patients each, in the following groups:

1. Active asthma cohort (patients with an asthma-specific diagnostic code at any point in their GP record, and >1 asthma medication prescription).
2. Resolved asthma cohort (patients with >1 resolved asthma code, followed from date of first resolved asthma during the study period to the earliest data of an asthma prescription, the end of the study period, date of transfer out of practice or death).
3. Non-asthma cohort (population-based patients without active or resolved asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

The results showed that compared to the active asthma cohort, the resolved asthma cohort had fewer GP consultations for asthma exacerbations and fewer asthma hospital admissions. However, compared with non-asthma patients, resolved asthma patients had more GP consultations, greater rates of respiratory tract infections and higher rates of antibiotic use.

The authors highlighted a lack of guidance around care pathways for patients with a record of resolved asthma. They concluded that patients with resolved asthma may need a more comprehensive respiratory assessment if they present with symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection, in order to assess symptom burden, airway obstruction and the potential value of inhaled treatment.