A 2-year-old girl presented with an intensely itching subcutaneous nodule on the front of a thigh. The nodule persisted for 10 months until it was excised. Subsequent investigation for malignancy and systemic disease showed no pathological findings. The diagnosis, persistent itching vaccination granuloma, was revealed by hazard almost 2 years after the onset of symptoms. Persistent itching subcutaneous nodules at the injection site for aluminium containing vaccines (mostly diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis combination vaccines for primary immunisation of infants) may appear with a long delay after the vaccination (months), cause prolonged itching (years) and are often associated with contact allergy to aluminium. The condition is poorly recognised in Health Care which may lead to prolonged symptoms and unnecessary investigations.

   Objective To determine whether environmental control using nocturnal temperature controlled laminar airflow (TLA) treatment could improve the quality of life of patients with persistent atopic asthma. <br> <br>Design Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. <br> <br>Setting Nineteen European asthma clinics. <br> <br>Participants 312 patients aged 7-70 with inadequately controlled persistent atopic asthma. <br> <br>Main outcome measure Proportion of patients with an increase of &gt;= 0.5 points in asthma quality of life score after 1 year of treatment. <br> <br>Results TLA devices were successfully installed in the bedrooms of 282 (90%) patients included in the primary efficacy analysis. There was a difference in treatment response rate between active (143 of 189, 76%) and placebo (56 of 92, 61%) groups, difference 14.8% (95% CI 3.1 to 26.5, p=0.02).(3) In patients aged &gt;= 12, on whom the study was powered, the difference in response rate was similar-active 106 of 143 (74%), placebo 42 of 70 (60%), difference 14.1% (0.6 to 27.7, p=0.059). There was a difference between groups in fractional exhaled nitric oxide change of -7.1 ppb (-13.6 to -0.7, p=0.03). Active treatment was associated with less increase in cat-specific IgE than placebo. There was no difference in adverse event rates between treatment groups. <br> <br>Conclusion Inhalant exposure reduction with TLA improves quality of life, airway inflammation and systemic allergy in patients with persistent atopic asthma. TLA may be a treatment option for patients with inadequately controlled persistent atopic asthma.

Introduction: Airsonett Airshower (AA) is a novel non-pharmaceutical treatment for patients with perennial allergic asthma that uses a laminar airflow directed to the breathing zone of patients during sleep. It has been shown that AA treatment in addition to optimized standard therapy significantly increases asthma-related quality of life among adolescent asthmatics. However, the cost-effectiveness of AA treatment has not yet been assessed. As reimbursement decisions are increasingly guided by results from the cost-effectiveness analysis, such information is valuable for health-care policy-makers. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of adding AA treatment with allergen-free air during night sleep to optimized standard therapy for adolescents with perennial allergic asthma compared with placebo. Materials and Methods: A probabilistic Markov model was developed to estimate costs and health outcomes over a 5-year period. Costs and effects are presented from a Swedish health-care perspective (QALYs). The main outcome of interest was cost per QALY gained. Results: The Airshower strategy resulted in a mean gain of 0.25 QALYs per patient, thus yielding a cost per QALY gained of under 35 000 as long as the cost of Airshower is below 8200. Conclusions: Adding AA treatment to optimized standard therapy for adolescents with perennial allergic asthma compared with placebo is generating additional QALYs at a reasonable cost. However, further studies taking more detailed resource use and events such as exacerbations into account would be needed to fully evaluate the cost-effectiveness of AA treatment. Please cite this paper as: Brodtkorb T-H, Zetterstrom O and Tinghog G. Cost-effectiveness of clean air administered to the breathing zone in allergic asthma.

Preferential expression of chemokine receptors on Th1 or Th2 T-helper cells has mostly been studied in cell lines generated in vitro or in animal models, however, results are less well characterized in humans. We determined T-cell responses through chemokine receptor expression on lymphocytes, and cytokine secretion in plasma from birch-allergic and healthy subjects. The expression of CCR2, CCR3, CCR4, CCR5, CCR7, CXCR3, CXCR4, CXCR6, IL-12 and IL-18R receptors was studied on CD4+ and CD8+ cells from birch-allergic (n = 14) and healthy (n = 14) subjects by flow cytometry. The concentration of IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ and TNF-α cytokines was measured in plasma from the same individuals using a cytometric bead array human cytokines kit. The similar expression of CCR4 in T cells from atopic and healthy individuals argues against the use of the receptor as an in vivo marker of Th2 immune responses. Reduced percentages of CD4+ cells expressing IL-18R, CXCR6 and CXCR3 were found in the same group of samples. TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-5, IL-4 and IL-12 cytokines were elevated in samples from allergic individuals. Reduced expression of Th1-associated chemokine receptors together with higher levels of Th1, Th2 and anti-inflammatory cytokines in samples from allergic patients indicate that immune responses in peripheral blood in atopic diseases are complex and cannot be simplified to the Th1/Th2 paradigm. Not only the clinical picture of atopic diseases but also the clinical state at different time points of the disease might influence the results of studies including immunological markers associated with Th1- or Th2-type immune responses. © 2008 The Authors.

BACKGROUND: Common polymorphisms have been identified in genes suspected to play a role in asthma. We investigated their associations with wheeze and allergy in a case-control sample from Phase 2 of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood.

METHODS: We compared 1105 wheezing and 3137 non-wheezing children aged 8-12 years from 17 study centres in 13 countries. Genotyping of 55 candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 14 genes was performed using the Sequenom System. Logistic regression models were fitted separately for each centre and each SNP. A combined per allele odds ratio and measures of heterogeneity between centres were derived by random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS: Significant associations with wheeze in the past year were detected in only four genes (IL4R, TLR4, MS4A2, TLR9, P<0.05), with per allele odds ratios generally <1.3. Variants in IL4R and TLR4 were also related to allergen-specific IgE, while polymorphisms in FCER1B (MS4A2) and TLR9 were not. There were also highly significant associations (P<0.001) between SPINK5 variants and visible eczema (but not IgE levels) and between IL13 variants and total IgE. Heterogeneity of effects across centres was rare, despite differences in allele frequencies.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite the biological plausibility of IgE-related mechanisms in asthma, very few of the tested candidates showed evidence of association with both wheeze and increased IgE levels. We were unable to confirm associations of the positional candidates DPP10 and PHF11 with wheeze, although our study had ample power to detect the expected associations of IL13 variants with IgE and SPINK5 variants with eczema.

Pertussis is still poorly controlled in both adolescents and adults. As a result, an adolescent pertussis booster vaccine dose has already been implemented or decided on in many countries. The reasons for this have been twofold: a worrying increase of infections in the target group of adolescents and a wish to prevent serious pertussis disease among young yet unvaccinated, and partly vaccinated, infants. Currently, it is still too early to evaluate the effect of the late booster on the circulation of Bordetella pertussis owing to the lack of relevant follow-up data. A universal adolescent booster vaccination will reduce the incidence of pertussis in the target group but the duration of immunity is uncertain. It is an open question as to what extent boosters should be offered to older age groups or if natural infections would be preferable. On the one hand, circulating B. pertussis may be hazardous to the youngest unvaccinated infants. On the other hand, subclinical natural boosters might be beneficial to population immunity. As the duration of immunity is shorter after vaccination than after natural infections, an unwanted consequence of adolescent boosters might shift the infection peak to older child-bearing adults. It is therefore recommended that recurrent serosurveys are used to follow the influence of vaccination on the antigenic pressure, as well as the duration of protective immunity. For this purpose, standardization of symptoms and laboratory criteria used for notification, as well as the methodology for seroepidemiology, must be established. Adverse reactions after adolescent vaccination and outbreaks owing to new B. pertussis variants must also be carefully monitored. In this article, we have used Swedish surveillance data and the results from Swedish seroepidemiology to illustrate these problem areas.

The anti-Fim response and long-term persistence after vaccination and infection may be of importance in understanding population immunity. Longitudinal serum samples (n = 1330) from 542 non-infected children related to a Swedish vaccine trial showed that the post vaccination (DTPa5) antibody decay curve for pertussis ELISA IgG anti-fimbriae2/3 (anti-Fim2/3) was bi-phasic. A slower one followed an initial rapid decay approximately 5-6 months after the third dose at 12 months of age. After 71 months, however, 60% still had concentrations above > or =5 EU/ml, a level that had been shown to correlate with decreased risk of disease. Booster responses after re-vaccination with DTPa5 at 4, 5 and 6 years of age were strong and appeared within 1 week after vaccination, indicating immune memory. Ninety-six young children with verified pertussis infection, for whom we had serum samples both before, during and after the infection, showed a high response if they had been primed with fimbriae (either DTPa5 or DTPwc). In contrast, 76% of infected children not primed with fimbriae (a DTPa2 or DT group) only had concentrations below the minimum level of detection in all samples taken during and after the infection. In two Swedish seroepidemiological surveys, one from 1997 just after reintroduction of universal childhood vaccination against pertussis and one from 2007, the proportion of children 2-3 years with anti-Fim2/3 concentrations <5 EU/ml was similar and above 90%. This reflects that the two- or three-component pertussis vaccines (DTPa2 and DTPa3) that were introduced in Sweden in 1996 do not induce anti-Fim2/3 antibodies. In previous studies it was shown in multivariate analyses that levels of IgG anti-Fim2/3 > or =5 EU/ml reduced short-term risk of pertussis in small children. As the antibody response to Fim2/3 after infection is poor in children who have not been primed earlier in life, inclusion of immunogenic Fim2/3 in future pertussis vaccines should be considered.

Voice disturbances in asthma patients may be caused by inhaled corticosteroids. In order to study the prevalence of such voice disturbances, a questionnaire was delivered to asthma patients at three asthma and allergy departments in Stockholm. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions concerning the asthma disease symptoms, medication, voice function, and voice disturbances. A total of 350 questionnaires were delivered. Response frequency was 80%. There was a significant positive correlation between inhalation of cortison and voice disturbances. Most of the patients complained about hoarseness, followed by throat clearing, a lump in the throat, loss of voice, and less frequently, throat pain. There were no significantly differences between men and women. Elderly had more voice problems than young persons. Patients with voice-demanding professions had more problems than patients who used their voice to a lesser extent during the working day. There was a significant positive correlation between high cortison doses and voice problems as well as between voice problems and acid regurgitation.

The use of combination vaccines in the routine childhood program reduces distress to the recipients and is likely to improve uptake rates and timeliness of vaccination but requires careful evaluation and surveillance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of two commercial diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis b-inactivated polio virus-Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib) combination vaccines when administered to infants at 3, 5 and 11-12 months of age. A total of 494 infants were randomized to receive three doses of either Infanrix hexa T (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals; N = 246) or Hexavac (TM) (Sanofi Pasteur MSD; N = 248) in 10 centers in Italy, Finland and Sweden. After the third dose, antibodies to diphtheria, tetanus, polio and Hib were at the protective level in nearly all infants in both groups whereas the proportion of subjects who had achieved the protective concentration of = 10 mIU/ml to hepatitis B surface antigen was 99.1% (95% CI 96.7-99.9) in the Infanrix hexa T group as compared to 94.4% (95% CI 90.4-97.1) in the Hexavac T group. Antibody titers to all three polio antigens were highest in Italy and lowest in Finland. Clinically relevant general reactions (such as fever of >39.5 degrees C) were mostly reported in less than 5% of the vaccinees. Three doses of DTaP-HBV-IPV/Hib combination vaccines produced sufficient immune responses in nearly all vaccinees.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are important tools with the purpose to control and regulate the immune system. These cells use FOXP3, TGF-beta, CTLA-4 and sCTLA-4 to regulate other T-cells. Since cryopreservation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is a convenient way to handle samples, we investigated whether these cells will change their mRNA expression of Treg associated markers, as well as secretion of TGF-beta1, after cryopreservation. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the mRNA expression after two different time intervals of in vitro antigen stimulation. PBMC from healthy adults were stimulated either fresh (48/96 h) or after cryopreservation (48 h), with PHA, tetanus toxoid, beta-lactoglobulin, ovalbumin or in culture medium exclusively (spontaneous). The mRNA expression of FOXP3, TGF-beta, CTLA-4 and sCTLA-4 were studied with multiplex real-time RT-PCR and TGF-beta1 with ELISA. Cryopreserved PBMC were appropriate for detection of the Treg associated markers FOXP3, TGF-beta, CTLA-4 and sCTLA-4 expressed spontaneously. Also antigen-induced mRNA expression of CTLA-4, sCTLA-4 and TGF-beta and secreted TGF-beta1, with the exception of FOXP3, preserved a stable transcription activity after cryopreservation. Further, a stimulation period of 48 h in general revealed the highest mRNA expression of the markers studied. In conclusion, cryopreserved cells are in general suitable for studying Treg associated markers.

Background: The American Academy of Periodontology has recently stated that, "[risk assessment will become] increasingly important in periodontal treatment planning and should be part of every comprehensive dental and periodontal evaluation." (J Periodontol 2006;77:1608). Unaided risk assessment and prognostication show significant variability because chronic periodontitis is a multifactorial disease. This report summarizes the clinical validation of an algorithm for chronic periodontitis risk assessment and prognostication. The algorithm is a Web-based analytic tool that integrates some 20 risk predictors and calculates scores indicating levels of risk for chronic periodontitis for the dentition (Level I) and, if an elevated risk is found, prognosticates disease progression tooth by tooth (Level II). Methods: An independent clinical validation sample was generated in an open, prospective clinical trial and analyzed in a predetermined validation plan. Results: The analyses identified two threshold scores above which significant progression of periodontitis was found. Based on these scores, sufficiently high explanatory values with significant and increasing parameter estimates for increasing risk were established in Level I, justifying detailed analysis tooth by tooth in Level II. Subsequent prognostication of chronic periodontitis in Level II was found to be accompanied by clinically relevant measures of quality in relation to rates of disease progression. Three score intervals representing increasing levels of periodontitis progression were identified corresponding to increasing levels of significant annual marginal bone loss. Conclusions: The predictors included in the algorithm reflect a relevant selection for periodontitis risk assessment. Risk assessment and prognostication with the algorithm provides the clinician with a validated, reliable, consistent, and objective tool supporting treatment planning.

Background: Patients with severe forms of chronic periodontitis present with varying degrees of decreased inflammatory reactivity. A previously reported algorithm for chronic periodontitis risk assessment and prognostication is based on the analysis of some 20 risk predictors. One of these predictors is a skin provocation test that assesses the individual patient's reactivity to a lipid A challenge. The aim of this report was to analyze results from validation data for the algorithm with respect to the contribution of results of the skin provocation test as a risk predictor for the progression of chronic periodontitis and to compare these results with the contribution from other predictors, namely smoking, angular bony destruction, furcation involvement, abutment teeth, and endodontic pathology.

Methods: Data from a previously reported clinical validation sample were used for the analysis, including the calculation of quality measures and explanatory values using different types of regression analysis and non-parametric testing.

Results: Smoking, endodontic pathology, abutment teeth, angular bony destruction, and furcation involvement presented with individual explanatory values for periodontitis progression between 4% and 13% and highly significant parameter estimates. Explanatory values for the results of the skin provocation test ranged between 2.6% and 5.1% depending on the disease severity group, with a positive predictive value of 82% for the identification of high-risk patients.

Conclusion: The skin provocation test provided a clinically significant contribution to the quality of analysis with the periodontitis risk and prognostication algorithm, in particular in the selection of high-risk patients for in-depth individual tooth analysis.

Acellulärt kikhostevaccin, difterivaccin och stelkrampsvaccin gav bra serologiska svar vid påfyllnadsvaccination vid 10 års ålder. Även skolbarn som aldrig fått kikhostevaccin svarade med antikroppar mot kikhosta efter endast en dos acellulärt kikhostevaccin.

Lokala biverkningar som ont i armen, rodnad/svullnad och klåda var mycket vanliga, och dessa lokalreaktioner höll i sig vanligtvis 3–4 dagar.

Större lokala reaktioner om minst fem centimeters rodnad eller svullnad drabbade mellan vart tredje till vart sjätte barn.

Dessa reaktioner är ofarliga, men det är viktigt att korrekt informera skolelever och föräldrar om vilka vanliga reaktioner som kan förväntas vid påfyllnadsvaccination mot difteri, stelkramp och kikhosta i denna ålder.

Objectives: Shortly after pertussis vaccination was reintroduced in Sweden in 1996, an intensified pertussis disease surveillance programme was set up. In this study, we report on in-depth analyses of age-dose-number-specific incidences and the rate of pertussis hospitalisation for children with no, 1 or 2 doses of an acellular pertussis vaccine before pertussis disease. Vaccine coverage, the timeliness of childhood vaccination and the effect of later than scheduled pertussis vaccination(s) are also examined. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanStudy design: Children with notified laboratory-confirmed (culture or PCR) pertussis disease were evaluated among the surveillance population of about 1 million infants, born between 1996 and 2007 and followed for pertussis disease from October 1997 to December 2007, for nearly 6 million person-years. Birth and vaccination dates of the diseased children are known from the surveillance programme. To estimate denominators of the age-dose-number-specific pertussis incidences, we used birth and vaccination dates from a vaccine trial with more than 72,000 infants combined with national pertussis vaccine coverage data for children in the surveillance population. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: For infants from 3 to andlt;5 months of age, the incidence of pertussis disease with at least 14 days of cough decreased from 264/100,000 for unvaccinated infants to 155/100,000 for infants with one dose of a pertussis vaccine prior to onset of the disease. In the age range 5 to andlt;12 months, the age-dose specific incidences were 526, 95, and 24/100,000 for infants with no, 1 and 2 doses, respectively. The rate of hospitalisation for infants with 1 dose of a pertussis vaccine prior to onset of the disease was significantly lower than for unvaccinated infants of the same age. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanFor many infants, there is a delay in administration of the vaccine doses according to the regular 3-5-12 month schedule (which has been the case for many years). Hypothetically, if all infants had been vaccinated exactly on schedule, we would expect about 28% fewer pertussis cases with at least 14 days of cough and 38% fewer hospitalisations due to pertussis, of cases possible to influence by vaccinations on schedule. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusion: Pertussis vaccination had a significant effect among infants already after the first dose. This is particularly important for premature infants and infants with severe respiratory and cardiac diseases. A moderate decrease in the incidence of pertussis disease in infants and rate of hospitalisation could be expected if primary vaccinations were carried out closer to the scheduled time than is currently the practice in Sweden.

Det har diskuterats om barn och vuxna med äggallergi ska erhålla vaccin mot den nya influen­san. Det finns nämligen spårmängder av äggprotein i vaccinet.

Risken för allergisk reaktion är dock mycket liten, eftersom mängderna är i storleksordningen några nanogram.

Vi har i Östergötland påbörjat en handlingsplan för vaccination av barn och vuxna med äggallergi.

Background: Exposure to inhaled allergens is a pathogenetic factor in allergic asthma. However, most studies that previously looked at air cleaning devices have shown little or no effect on patients with perennial allergic asthma. Aims and objectives: We examined a novel treatment using temperature regulated laminar airflow with a very low particle concentration directed to the breathing zone of teenagers and young adults with mild to moderate allergic asthma during night steep. We hypothesised that the decreased allergen exposure during the night would have an effect on bronchial inflammation and quality of life. Method: Twenty-two patients (mean 18.8 years) were randomized to start with active or placebo treatment for 10 weeks. At( patients received both active and placebo treatment with unfiltered air, with a 2-week wash-out period in between treatments. Maintenance treatment with inhaled corticosteroids was unaltered during the trial period. Health related quality of life (miniAQLQ) was the primary effectiveness measure. Exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and spirometry were also investigated. Results: Active treatment resulted in an improved miniAQLQ compared to placebo (mean score 0.54, p andlt; 0.05, n = 20). An effect on bronchial, inflammation was also detected with significantly tower FeNO values during the active treatment period (mean -6.95 ppb, p andlt; 0.05, n = 22). Both effects were evident after 5 weeks. The change in lung function was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Clean air, administered directly to the breathing zone during steep, can have a positive effect on bronchial. inflammation and quality of life in patients with perennial allergic asthma.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of perinatal, social, and environmental factors in a birth cohort for the risk of developing asthma in a 10-year follow-up. A group of children (n = 144) with medically diagnosed asthma was matched to a control group of demographic twins (n = 144) from the same birth cohort and region. In a defined region in Sweden, children with a well-documented and medically confirmed asthma diagnosis were retrospectively identified and followed from birth up to the age of 10. Asthma diagnosis, perinatal and obstetric factors, and social data for both the case and control groups were collected through medical records at all health centers in primary care, privately practicing pediatricians, and the public pediatric clinic in the region. The parents of these children answered the standardized ISAAC postal questionnaire, with an overall response rate of 87%. Family history of asthma and allergic rhinitis and low birth weight indicated an increased asthma risk. The social class of the mother and life-style factors concerning mothers smoking habits and indication of passive smoking were also related to increased asthma risk. Also residential factors like mist or mold damage, unusual odors, and dry air were found to indicate increased asthma risk. Maternal asthma, low birth weight, and exposure to passive smoking in the family were all found to be independent predictors for childhood asthma.

Among children earlier having been identified with a hospital or primary care diagnosis of asthma at least once between 0-7 years of age, almost 40 % of their parents reported in the ISAAC-questionnaire as never having had asthma (NA). These are further analysed and compared with the persisting asthma cases (A) in this study. All these childrens medical records were scrutinized concerning their asthma diagnose retrospectively. The aim of this study was to analyse possible factors related to the outcome in an Asthma diagnosis reassessment by parental questionnaire at the age of ten of the children earlier having been identified with a hospital or primary health care diagnosis of asthma at least once between 0-7 years of age in a total birth-year cohort in a defined Swedish geographical area. A multiple logistic analysis revealed four significant and independent factors associated to the improvement/non-report of asthma at the age of ten. These factors were; not having any past experiences of allergic symptoms (pless than0.0001), only having one or two visits at the hospital for asthma diagnosis in the 0-7 interval (p=0.001), not living in a flat but a villa at the age of ten (p=0.029) and no previous perception of mist or mould damage in the house (p=0.052). In the early postnatal stage, obstructive and bronchospastic symptoms typical of asthma may be unspecific, and those cases not continuing to persisting disease tend to have identifiable salutogenetic factors of constitutional rather than environmental nature, namely, an overall reduced allergic predisposition.

n/a

BACKGROUND: The incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing in developed countries, as is the mortality rate. The main cause of COPD is smoking, and COPD is usually diagnosed at a late stage. AIM: To evaluate a method to detect COPD at an early stage in smokers in a young age group (40-55 years).

DESIGN OF STUDY: Prospective descriptive study.

SETTING: The city of Motala (45,000 inhabitants) and its surrounding rural areas (43,000 inhabitants) in south-east Sweden. Nineteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty subjects were between 40 and 55 years of age. According to Swedish statistics, approximately 27% of this population are smokers.

METHOD: Smokers aged between 40 and 55 years were invited to have free spirometry testing in primary healthcare centres. Placards were placed in pharmacies and health centres and advertising was carried out locally twice a year.

RESULTS: A total of 512 smokers responded. The prevalence of COPD was 27% (n = 141). The COPD was classified as mild obstruction in 85% (n = 120), moderate in 13% (n = 18) and severe in 2% (n = 3) according to the European Respiratory Society classification. Knowledge of the disease COPD was acknowledged by 39% of the responders to the questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, male sex, number of pack years, dyspnoea and symptoms of chronic bronchitis significantly increased the odds of having COPD. The adjusted odds ratio was significant for having > 30 pack years.

CONCLUSIONS: This method of inviting relatively young smokers selected a population of smokers with a high incidence of COPD, and may be one way of identifying smokers with COPD in the early stages.

BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation is the most important therapeutic intervention in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and the health benefits are immediate and substantial. Major efforts have been made to develop methods with high smoking cessation rates.

OBJECTIVES: To study whether a combination of spirometry and brief smoking cessation advice to smokers with COPD, annually for three years, increased their smoking cessation rate in comparison with groups of smokers with normal lung function.

METHOD: Prospective, randomized study in primary care. Smoking cessation rates were compared between smokers with COPD followed-up yearly over a period of three years and smokers with normal lung function followed-up yearly for three years or followed-up only once after three years.

RESULTS: The point-prevalence abstinence rate and prolonged abstinence rate at 6 and 12 months increased yearly and in smokers with COPD at year 3 was 29%, 28%, and 25%, respectively. The abstinence rates were significantly higher in smokers with COPD than in smokers with normal lung function. Smoking cessation rates among smokers with normal lung function did not increase with increasing number of follow-ups.

CONCLUSION: Smokers diagnosed with COPD stopped smoking significantly more often than those with normal lung function.

Background: Recently performed studies have found a number of limitations in the daily lives of asthmatics, and a large disparity between the perception of the sufferers and what health care professionals believe matters to asthmatics. Aim: What matters to Swedish asthma patients, what medicines do they use, and are they compliant with given prescriptions? A further aim was to compare perceptions about asthma and asthma management in asthmatics and among Swedish general practitioners (GP). Design: A structured telephone interview of a representative sample of Swedish asthmatics, and a mailed questionnaire survey among GPs from different parts of Sweden. Methods: Screening by telephone of a random sample of 10,350 subjects aged 18-45. Of those, 240 were subsequently selected for a detailed structured telephone interview about their asthma. A mailed structured questionnaire containing similar questions to those asked of the asthmatics was sent to 600 GPs, and 139 returned completed answers. Results: 16% of the asthmatics reported (asthma) symptoms occurring every day during the previous month. Nocturnal symptoms at least twice per week were reported by 19%. Both these were reported by considerably higher proportions of the asthmatics than the GPs had expected. A large majority classified their disease as mild or very mild, although great majority reported frequent symptoms. Activities or situations which caused symptoms of asthma often or "now and then" were physical exertion, 67%, bad weather, 59%, contact with animals/pets, 58%, and visits to cafés or restaurants, 36%, and several asthmatics avoided these activities due to their asthma. Conclusion: A great majority of asthmatics report a large number of symptoms and limitations in their daily living in proportions which were roughly expected by the GPs. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cord blood IgE has previously been studied as a possible predictor of asthma and allergic diseases. Results from different studies have been contradictory, and most have focused on high-risk infants and early infancy. Few studies have followed their study population into adulthood. This study assessed whether cord blood IgE levels and a family history of asthma were associated with, and could predict, asthma medication and allergy-related respiratory symptoms in adults.

A follow-up was carried out in a Swedish birth cohort comprising 1701 consecutively born children. In all, 1661 individuals could be linked to the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register and the Medical Birth Register, and 1227 responded to a postal questionnaire. Cord blood IgE and family history of asthma were correlated with reported respiratory symptoms and dispensed asthma medication at 32–34 years.

Elevated cord blood IgE was associated with a two- to threefold increased risk of pollen-induced respiratory symptoms and dispensed anti-inflammatory asthma medication. Similarly, a family history of asthma was associated with an increased risk of pollen-induced respiratory symptoms and anti-inflammatory medication. However, only 8% of the individuals with elevated cord blood IgE or a family history of asthma in infancy could be linked to current dispensation of anti-inflammatory asthma medication at follow-up.

Elevated cord blood IgE and a positive family history of asthma were associated with reported respiratory symptoms and dispensed asthma medication in adulthood, but their predictive power was poor in this long-time follow-up.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that has a considerable socioeconomic impact. Asthma management guidelines have been introduced to help provide better long-term control of asthma. Although recommended guidelines may increase the direct medication costs, the overall direct costs of asthma may be reduced due to fewer exacerbations. In addition, indirect costs due to lost productivity and mortality are reduced and patients have an improved quality of life. Inhaled corticosteroids are first-line therapy in the treatment of persistent asthma. Against this background, we have assessed the cost-effectiveness of Symbicort® (budesonide and formoterol in a single inhaler), a treatment that provides better control of asthma compared with budesonide alone. While the prescribing costs of Symbicort® were found to be higher than for budesonide alone, these were partially offset by reduced costs due to fewer asthma exacerbations and a reduced need for other medications. Combined long-term therapy with budesonide and formoterol also improves patient quality of life compared with budesonide alone. Two other factors associated with asthma treatment success and cost-effectiveness are patient/physician education and good patient adherence to prescribed therapy. The introduction of a single inhaler that is easy to use in simple treatment regimens may improve patient adherence to prescribed medication, thus resulting in improved asthma control and fewer exacerbations. Treatment with Symbicort® is more cost-effective than treatment with budesonide alone. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Background: The control of daytime and nighttime symptoms is an important measure of effectiveness of asthma therapy, especially, when administered once-daily. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of evening and morning administrations of mometasone furoate administered via a dry powder inhaler (MF-DPI) 400 μg once-daily (QD) to show equivalence. Methods: Open-label, randomized, parallel-group study in adult patients with mild to moderate asthma with a ≥3-month history of ICS use. Patients received MF-DPI 400 μg QD either in the morning (AM) or evening (PM) for 12 weeks. The primary measure was the change in asthma symptoms from baseline to week 12. Secondary outcomes included response to treatment, adherence, inhaler device evaluation, use of rescue medication, urinary cortisol levels, and differential white blood cell count. Results: A total of 1537 patients were randomized, the efficacy population comprised 543 and 479 patients in the MF-DPI QD morning and evening groups, respectively. Mean improvements from baseline in daytime symptom scores at week 12 with morning and evening administration of MF-DPI 400 μg were -0.11 ± 0.59 and -0.12 ± 0.68, respectively (95% CI, -0.095 to 0.061) and the corresponding improvements in nighttime symptom scores were -0.08 ± 0.59 and -0.07 ± 0.50, respectively (95% CI, -0.067 to 0.068). Use of rescue medication was the same in both groups (1 puff/day). MF-DPI QD was well tolerated regardless of time of administration. Conclusions: This open-label study did not identify differences between morning and evening dosing of MF-DPI 400 μg QD. A better effect of evening dosing compared to morning dosing found in previous double-blind placebo-controlled studies could not be confirmed. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.