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Impact of sex on severe asthma: a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of UK primary and specialist care

  • On behalf of the UK Severe Asthma Registry
  • , Lola Loewenthal
  • , John Busby
  • , Ronald McDowell
  • , Thomas Brown
  • , Hassan Burhan
  • , Rekha Chaudhuri
  • , Paddy Dennison
  • , James William Dodd
  • , Simon Doe
  • , Shoaib Faruqi
  • , Robin Gore
  • , Elfatih Idris
  • , David Joshua Jackson
  • , Mitesh Patel
  • , Thomas Pantin
  • , Ian Pavord
  • , Paul E. Pfeffer
  • , David B. Price
  • , Hitasha Rupani
  • Salman Siddiqui, Liam G. Heaney, Andrew Menzies-Gow
  • Imperial College London
  • Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
  • Queen's University Belfast
  • Ulster University
  • Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
  • Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
  • University of Glasgow
  • University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
  • University of Bristol
  • North Bristol NHS Trust
  • Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • University of Hull
  • Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
  • King's College London
  • University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
  • Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
  • University of Oxford
  • Barts Health NHS Trust
  • Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute
  • University of Aberdeen
  • University of Southampton
  • Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
  • University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
  • The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS FT
  • Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Introduction After puberty, females are more likely to develop asthma and in a more severe form than males. The associations between asthma and sex are complex with multiple intrinsic and external factors. Aim To evaluate the sex differences in the characteristics and treatment of patients with severe asthma (SA) in a real-world setting. Methods Demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics for patients with SA in the UK Severe Asthma Registry (UKSAR) and Optimum Patient Care Research Database (OPCRD) were retrospectively analysed by sex using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for year, age and hospital/practice. results 3679 (60.9% female) patients from UKSAR and 18 369 patients (67.9% female) from OPCRD with SA were included. Females were more likely to be symptomatic with increased Asthma Control Questionnaire-6 (UKSAR adjusted OR (aOR) 1.14, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.18) and Royal College of Physicians-3 Question scores (OPCRD aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.47). However, they had a higher forced expiratory volume in 1 second per cent (FEV1%) predicted (UKSAR 68.7% vs 64.8%, p<0.001) with no significant difference in peak expiratory flow. Type 2 biomarkers IgE (UKSAR 129 IU/mL vs 208 IU/mL, p<0.001) and FeNO (UKSAR 36ppb vs 46ppb, p<0.001) were lower in females with no significant difference in blood eosinophils or biological therapy. Females were less likely to be on maintenance oral corticosteroids (UKSAR aOR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.99) but more likely to be obese (UKSAR aOR 1.67, 95% CI 145 to 1.93; OPCRD SA aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.58). Conclusions Females had increased symptoms and were more likely to be obese despite higher FEV1% predicted and lower type 2 biomarkers with consistent and clinically important differences across both datasets.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)403-411
Number of pages9
JournalThorax
Volume79
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2024
Externally publishedYes

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