*Data are n (%), unless otherwise indicated. N , total number of
qualified subjects for evaluation; M ±SD, average ± standard
deviation; n (%), frequency (percentage of frequency); 95% CI,
95% confidence interval. Total number of qualified subjects for
evaluation of the quantity of cigarettes smoked per year, including
former and current smokers.
Asthma control, management and medication before the
COVID-19
pandemic
Over the preceding 12 months before the COVID-19 pandemic,
4.5% (8/178), and 6.7% (12/178)
of patients were admitted to hospitals or visited ED, respectively, due
to asthma exacerbations. 28.2% (48/170) of the patients had a written
personalized asthma action plan from their specialists, but only 1.2%
(2/172) performed peak respiratory flow every day. Of the patients
investigated, 11.0% (19/173) had attended the asthma education program
organized by the hospitals, and as many as
10.7% (19/178) of patients
expressed that they would seek medical online consultation services.
Only 20.3% (36/177) of the patients had regularly visited outpatient
clinics for asthma reassessment and prescription refill,while the
remaining 79.7% visited outpatient clinics irregularly. Of note, 33.3%
(59/177) of the patients had not used any asthma medication regularly
before the COVID-19 pandemic,
while 66.7% (118/177) had regularly used, as advised by their
physicians, long-term maintenance medications which consisted of inhaled
corticosteroids (ICS) plus a long-acting β2 agonist (LABA) (85.6%,
101/118), and/or oral leukotriene modifiers (38/118, 32.2%) . Inhaled
short-acting β2 receptor agonists, used as required for relieving
symptoms for exacerbation, were used daily by 19.5% (23/118) of
patients. Daily oral theophylline was used by 6.8% (68/118) of the
patients.(Table 2)
Table 2. Summary of asthma medications before the COVID-19 pandemic