Bronchial asthma in practice of the allergist and the pulmonologist: a comparative analysis

Aim of study. To carry out a comparative analysis of a population of patients with bronchial asthma under observation of pulmonologists and allergists. Material and methods. A total of 377 cases of bronchial asthma were studied and analysed. Th e non-interventional, observational, comparative study was carried out in the setting of actual clinical practice. Th e patient underwent medical history collection, evaluation of adherence to treatment and of the level of bronchial asthma control, physical examination, spirometry, their laboratory data and earlier treatment taken into consideration. The evaluation results were analysed via the SPSS-18 soft ware program. Results. Th e patients observed by pulmonologists had uncontrolled BA more frequently with almost 2-fold predominance of patients with severe disease progression, FEV1 was below normal values with significantly more frequent exacerbation and hospitalisation. The patients observed by allergists were more frequently male. They were younger with signifi cantly more frequent controlled bronchial asthma or bronchial asthma with mild progression, 3-fold more frequent rhinitis, a lower number of exacerbation and hospitalisation over the past year, 2-fold less frequent FEV1 below the normal values and 2-fold less frequent application of short-acting bronchodilators. Th e patients observed by pulmonologists had severe uncontrolled progression of the disease with presence of extrapulmonary concomitant diseases. Th ere was no difference between the patients in relation to the frequency of baseline therapy via inhaled glucocorticosteroids and their combinations with long-acting bronchodilators. Conclusion. Bronchial asthma is a disease, the heterogeneity of manifestations of which leads to management of patients with the same nosological entity being performed by specialists in two fi elds, which is based on the diff erences in the clinical profi le determined in this study.