According to a study based on retrospective data from the medical records in Qatar, the prevalence of asthma is 9% among adults.
The Qatar-based study, “The rate of exacerbations in patients with asthma in Qatar: A retrospective study during 2019-2021", published recently by QScience.com reveals “The prevalence of asthma is 9% among adults in Qatar, and its severity can be attributed to intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as environmental changes.”
The study investigated the association between air pollution and asthma severity, the rate of exacerbations in adult patients with asthma in Qatar.
A recent press release by the Primary Health Care Corporation has stated that asthma is the most prevalent disease in Qatar and the Gulf States.
“Asthma in the Gulf has some of its own factors, as studies indicate that genetic factors play a crucial role in worsening one’s health status, in addition to exposure to dust, air pollution, and smoking,” a PHCC official said in the statement.
Asthma is also controlled by environmental factors or external stimuli, which leads to narrowing of the airways through contraction of muscle fiber, congestion, swelling, and inflammation of the cells lining the bronchi. Therefore, asthma is considered a chronic inflammatory disease.
As part of the process of the study, retrospective data of patients with asthma aged 16 to 70 from January 2019 to December 2021 was retrieved from Cerner medical records. A total of 6,977 exacerbations visits representing 6,558 patients were identified during the study period.
“Frequencies of exacerbations in inpatient and outpatient departments were analysed using means and median for descriptive data and frequency and percentage for categorical data. Exacerbations were divided into single, double, and more than double for each quarter of the year from January 2019 to December 2021) using SPSS and Minitab statistical packages.”
The patients from the Mena region, including Qataris, presented 67% compared to 33% from the Indian subcontinent and other countries. The number of patient visits for hospitalisation due to exacerbations showed a distinctive pattern during the three years. The highest record of asthmatics with exacerbations was observed in 2019 (42.7%) compared to half the rate in 2020 and 2021 (28.5%, 28.8%), respectively.
The study was conducted by Dina Isaifan from Qatar University (QU); Maryam al-Nesf from Allergy and Immunology Division, Hamad Medical Corporation ( HMC), Lama Soubra, QU, Hassan Mobayed, HMC; M Rami Alfarra, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Sergio Crovella, QU.
This preliminary overview provides the rate of exacerbation episodes in patients with asthma in Qatar. One cause of these exacerbations can be attributed to air quality changes. The drop in the exacerbation rate observed in 2020-2021 could be explained by Covid-19 lockdown regulations or patients’ adherence to prescribed medications. The study has proposed several preventive and therapeutic strategies to alleviate asthmatics’ symptoms and improve their quality of life.
