National data on asthma characteristics and the factors associated with uncontrolled asthma seem to be necessary for every country. For this purpose, we developed the Turkish Adult Asthma Registry ...

COVID-19,ground glass opacity,polymerase chain reaction,pandemic

Respiratory effects, spirometry, tear gases

Background and Objectives: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic inflammation and an imbalance between oxidative and antioxidative mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate oxidative balance and dynamic thiol/disulfide homeostasis in patients with COPD. Materials and Methods: A total of 68 participants, including 34 COPD patients and 34 healthy controls, were enrolled. Demographic characteristics, smoking status, comorbidities, inflammatory and biochemical parameters, and oxidative stress (OS) markers were recorded. Pulmonary function tests were performed, and COPD patients were classified according to GOLD stages. Correlation, ROC, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationships between OS, disease severity, and potential confounders. Results: Among all participants, smoking and comorbidities were significantly more frequent in COPD patients compared to controls. COPD was associated with increased inflammatory and OS markers, characterized by reduced total and native thiol and total antioxidant status (TAS) levels, alongside elevated disulfide, total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI). ROC analysis showed strong diagnostic accuracy for thiol parameters, particularly total and native thiol. Thiol depletion and elevated OS were more pronounced with advancing GOLD stage. In multivariate analysis, smoking status was independently associated with COPD. Conclusions: Thiol/disulfide imbalance and OS are evident in COPD, suggesting potential clinical relevance for disease evaluation. However, larger studies are needed to confirm their role as reliable biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

The obese-asthma phenotype has gradually increased in the last few years. We aimed to assess the differences between obese and non-obese patients with asthma. This research is a subanalysis of the Turkish Adult Asthma Registry (TAAR). Clinical presentation, disease control, severity, and demographics of obese and non-obese (lean, normal-weight, overweight) patients were compared. The obesity rate in TAAR was 32.2% (n = 619/1919; 18-83 years; 527 F/92 M). Patients with asthma and obesity had higher rates of childhood obesity, longer symptom duration, later onset of asthma, and more severe asthma. These patients were more likely to be female, older, less educated, and live in rural areas. Patients with obesity had more scheduled visits and emergency visits compared with non-obese patients, but similar asthma control, oral corticosteroid use, hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, and unscheduled visits. They also had a higher frequency of T2-high but lower frequency of possible T2-low phenotypes compared with normal-weight asthmatics. The risk of severe asthma in patients with obesity was 6.04 times higher for allergic than non-allergic patients and 3.58 times higher for the T2-high phenotype than for possible T2-low phenotypes. A one-unit increase in the asthma control test reduced the risk of severe asthma by 22%. A good definition of this phenotype is important to ensure that appropriate treatment strategies are implemented to achieve the control goal. We also believe that prevention of childhood obesity is an effective and pivotal strategy to achieve the goal of asthma control.

The older adult population in Türkiye has increased by 22.6% in the last 5 years, and the characteristics of such patients with asthma remain uninvestigated. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the characteristics of older adults with asthma according to sex and asthma control status to provide an in-depth overview of asthma in this population in Türkiye. The data of older adults (age 65 years and over) with asthma were obtained from a multicenter, cross-sectional asthma database registry (Turkish Adult Asthma Registry, TAAR) funded by the Turkish Thoracic Society. Comparisons were made based on sex and asthma control levels using the GINA Asthma Symptom Control Questionnaire. Of the 2053 (11.5%) patients registered with the TAAR, 227 were older adults (median age, 69 (8), women, 75.8% [n = 172]). Of these, 46.5% (n = 101) had obesity to some degree. Compared with men, women had lower education, income levels, and employment rates. Additionally, women exhibited a higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and thyroid gland disease than men. Being female (OR: 2.99; 95% CI: 1.307-6.880), the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (OR: 2.855; 95% CI: 1.330-6.130), and a predicted forced expiratory volume in the first-second value lower than 80% (OR: 2.938; 95% CI: 1.451-5.948) were associated with poorly controlled asthma. Herein, older adults comprised 11.5% of adult patients with asthma. Being female poses a disadvantage in terms of both asthma prevalence and control in the older adult asthmatic population owing to the prevalence of comorbidities and socioeconomic sex-related distinguishing factors.