Warning symptoms of asthma attack and asthma self-management: a national asthma control survey from China

• Published in: Zhong hua yi xue za zhi Vol. 97; no. 30; p. 2329
• Main Authors: Lin, J T, Wang, W Q, Zhou, X, Wang, C Z, Huang, M, Cai, S X, Chen, P, Lin, Q C, Zhou, J Y, Gu, Y H, Yuan, Y D, Sun, D J, Yang, X H, Yang, L, Huo, J M, Chen, Z C, Jiang, P, Zhang, J, Ye, X W, Liu, H G, Tang, H P, Liu, R Y, Liu, C T, Zhang, W, Hu, C P, Chen, Y Q, Liu, X J, Dai, L M, Zhou, W, Huang, Y J, Xu, J Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 08.08.2017
• Subjects: Asthma; China; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Surveys and Questionnaires; China; Exacerbation; Self-management; Cross-sectional studies; Questionnaires; Asthma
• ISSN: 0376-2491
• DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0376-2491.2017.30.003

To investigate warning symptoms of asthma attack and evaluate asthma self-management status of asthma patients in urban China. A multi-center, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was carried out from 30 general hospitals dispersed in 30 provinces of mainland China (except for Tibet) during Oct 2015 to May 2016. Information of frequency and warning symptoms of asthma attack, the time from warning symptoms to asthma attack, the impact of asthma attack and asthma self-management were collected from asthma patients of outpatient department. Altogether 3 875 asthmatic outpatients were recruited. 78.1% (3 026/3 875) of the patients reported restriction of exercise and daily activities during asthma exacerbation. 82.5% (3 160/3 829) of the patients had warning symptoms before asthma attack, the most common warning symptoms were cough, chest tightness and shortness of breath. The median time from warning symptoms to asthma attack was 2 h, the mean time was 90 h. Only 4.4% (167/3 829) of the patients had defin