The creation and long-term follow-up of a cohort of asthmatic patients. Baseline clinical characteristics of the study population: The MEGA Project:

Abstract

Introduction: The general objective of the study is to create a cohort of patients with asthma, in order to broaden our understanding of this pathology. Specific objectives: 1) To establish a common methodology for recruiting a cohort of asthmatic patients; 2) To describe the baseline characteristics of the study population. Method: Patients were collected from the outpatient units of seven participating institutions. A standardized medical history, clinical examination and lung function study were performed and the Mini AQLQ, ACT, and Snott-22 questionnaires were administered. For the collection of the data a specific electronic database was designed. Results: To date, 166 patients have been recruited. Asthma was intermittent/mild in 26 patients, moderate in 71 and severe in 69. Patients with severe asthma consumed more systemic corticosteroids, LABA, LAMA, montelukast and omalizumab (p Conclusions: The common methodology developed seems to be useful for patient recruitment. Patients with severe asthma present higher levels of bronchiectasis. PC20 values were lower in patients with intermittent/mild and moderate asthma. Funded: Fis PI15/01900, CIBER, FEDER, SANOFI