Resumen de Factors affecting quality of life of asthma patients in Spain: The importance of patient education

Eva Martinez Moragon, M. Palop Cervera, Alfredo de Diego Damiá, Juan Serra Batlles, Concepción Pellicer Ciscar, Pere Casan Clarà, M.T. Caloto González, Gonzalo Nocea Pulfer

• Objectives Assessment of demographic and clinical factors that have an impact on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with asthma in Spain.

  Patients and methods Multicenter, prospective, observational, cohort study, conducted in 40 Spanish Pneumology Units during a 12-month period. Data on sociodemographic, clinical variables, asthma treatment and QoL were collected in a case report form.

  Results 536 patients (64.6% women, mean age: 54) were recruited. Reported QoL was better for patients from Northern and Central Spain as compared with those from the South and the East (p < 0.001), students and employed patients as compared with housewives and unemployed (p < 0.01), for those who had received asthma information (p < 0.01), for those with milder daytime symptoms (p < 0.01) and for patients with higher level of education (p < 0.05).

  Conclusions Among the factors that have a significant effect on patients� QoL only symptom control and patient education on asthma control are modifiable. Therefore, all the strategies should be tailored to improve such factors when managing asthma patients.