Table 4. Longitudinal differences in lung function, exacerbations, health status and asthma control of patients referred by their GP to single or yearly follow-up assessment after 12 months (range 10–14 months, n total=991). Patients in this table were not assessed after 3 months.
| Diagnosis | n | Baseline | After 12 months | P value a |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asthma (n=598) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| ⩾1 exacerbationb | 572 | 200 (35.0) | 144 (25.2) | <0.000 |
| Current smokers or quit <12 months ago | 595 | 88 (14.8) | 81 (13.6) | NS |
| Sufficient inhalation techniquec | 471 | 185 (39.3) | 251 (53.3) | <0.000 |
| Well controlled (ACQ<0.75) | 591 | 377 (63.8) | 383 (64.8) | NS |
| Partially controlled (ACQ⩾0.75 and <1.50) | 119 (20.1) | 123 (20.8) | ||
| Uncontrolled (ACQ⩾1.50) | 95 (16.1) | 85 (14.4) | ||
| Mean (s.d.) | Mean (s.d.) | |||
| FEV1 pre (L) | 596 | 3.1 (0.9) | 3.0 (0.9) | <0.000 |
| COPD (n=245) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| ⩾1 exacerbationb | 244 | 85 (34.8) | 62 (25.4) | 0.010 |
| Current smokers or quit <12 months ago | 243 | 109 (44.9) | 99 (40.7) | 0.017 |
| Sufficient inhalation techniquec | 177 | 59 (33.3) | 78 (44.1) | 0.034 |
| Stable (CCQ<1) | 243 | 128 (52.7) | 136 (56.0) | NS |
| Not entirely stable (CCQ⩾1 and <2) | 79 (32.5) | 74 (30.5) | ||
| Unstable (CCQ⩾2 &<3) | 23 (9.5) | 24 (9.9) | ||
| Very unstable (CCQ⩾3) | 13 (5.3) | 9 (3.7) | ||
| Mean (s.d.) | Mean (s.d.) | |||
| FEV1 pre (L) | 244 | 2.2 (0.7) | 2.1 (0.6) | <0.000 |
| Overlap syndrome (n=88) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| ⩾1 exacerbationb | 88 | 34 (38.6) | 25 (28.4) | NS |
| Current smokers or quit <12 months ago | 88 | 38 (43.2) | 34 (38.6) | 0.094 |
| Sufficient inhalation techniquec | 66 | 24 (36.4) | 28 (42.4) | NS |
| Well controlled (ACQ<0.75) | 87 | 37 (42.5) | 48 (55.2) | 0.032 |
| Partially controlled (ACQ⩾0.75 and <1.50) | 25 (28.7) | 21 (24.1) | ||
| Uncontrolled (ACQ⩾1.50) | 25 (28.7) | 18 (20.7) | ||
| Stable (CCQ<1) | 65 | 24 (36.9) | 30 (46.2) | 0.027 |
| Not entirely stable (CCQ ⩾1 & <2) | 27 (41.5) | 26 (40.0) | ||
| Unstable (CCQ⩾2 and <3) | 7 (10.8) | 7 (10.8) | ||
| Very unstable (CCQ⩾3) | 7 (10.8) | 2 (3.1) | ||
| Mean (s.d.) | Mean (s.d.) | |||
| FEV1 pre (L) | 88 | 2.3 (0.7) | 2.2 (0.7) | <0.000 |
Abbreviations: ACQ, Asthma Control Questionnaire; CCQ, Clinical COPD Questionnaire; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in one second; GP, general practitioner; NS, not significant.
a
P values are two-sided and P values ⩾0.10 are reported as ‘ns’.
b
Exacerbations are defined as having used oral corticosteroids or antibiotics for lung problems last year.
c
Inhalation technique in patients who use medication at baseline.