Browsing by Author "Loureiro, CC"
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- Omalizumab for Severe Asthma: Beyond Allergic AsthmaPublication . Loureiro, CC; Amaral, L; Ferreira, JA; Lima, R; Pardal, C; Fernandes, I; Semedo, L; Arrobas, ADifferent subsets of asthma patients may be recognized according to the exposure trigger and the frequency and severity of clinical signs and symptoms. Regarding the exposure trigger, generally asthma can be classified as allergic (or atopic) and nonallergic (or nonatopic). Allergic and nonallergic asthma are distinguished by the presence or absence of clinical allergic reaction and in vitro IgE response to specific aeroallergens. The mechanisms of allergic asthma have been extensively studied with major advances in the last two decades. Nonallergic asthma is characterized by its apparent independence from allergen exposure and sensitization and a higher degree of severity, but little is known regarding the underlying mechanisms. Clinically, allergic and nonallergic asthma are virtually indistinguishable in exacerbations, although exacerbation following allergen exposure is typical of allergic asthma. Although they both show several distinct clinical phenotypes and different biomarkers, there are no ideal biomarkers to stratify asthma phenotypes and guide therapy in clinical practice. Nevertheless, some biomarkers may be helpful to select subsets of atopic patients which might benefit from biologic agents, such as omalizumab. Patients with severe asthma, uncontrolled besides optimal treatment, notwithstanding nonatopic, may also benefit from omalizumab therapy, although currently there are no randomized double-blind placebo controlled clinical trials to support this suggestion. However, omalizumab discontinuation according to each patient's response to therapy and pharmacoeconomical analysis are questions that remain to be answered.
- Optimizing the Use of Systemic Corticosteroids in Severe Ssthma (ROSA II Project): a National Delphi Consensus StudyPublication . Marques, J; Duarte-Ramos, F; Ferreira, MB; Lima, R; Lopes, C; Sokolova, A; Tonin, FS; Loureiro, CC
- Profiling Persistent Asthma Phenotypes in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Diagnostic Evaluation from the INSPIRERS StudiesPublication . Amaral, R; Jácome, C; Almeida, R; Pereira, AM; Alves-Correia, M; Mendes, S; Rodrigues, JC; Carvalho, J; Araújo, L; Costa, A; Silva, A; Teixeira, MF; Ferreira-Magalhães, M; Alves, RR; Moreira, AS; Fernandes, RM; Ferreira, R; Leiria-Pinto, P; Neuparth, N; Bordalo, D; Todo Bom, A; Cálix, MJ; Ferreira, T; Gomes, J; Vidal, C; Mendes, A; Vasconcelos, MJ; Silva, PM; Ferraz, J; Morête, A; Pinto, CS; Santos, N; Loureiro, CC; Arrobas, A; Marques, ML; Lozoya, C; Lopes, C; Cardia, F; Loureiro, CC; Câmara, R; Vieira, I; Silva, S; Silva, E; Rodrigues, N; Fonseca, JAWe aimed to identify persistent asthma phenotypes among adolescents and to evaluate longitudinally asthma-related outcomes across phenotypes. Adolescents (13-17 years) from the prospective, observational, and multicenter INSPIRERS studies, conducted in Portugal and Spain, were included (n = 162). Latent class analysis was applied to demographic, environmental, and clinical variables, collected at a baseline medical visit. Longitudinal differences in clinical variables were assessed at a 4-month follow-up telephone contact (n = 128). Three classes/phenotypes of persistent asthma were identified. Adolescents in class 1 (n = 87) were highly symptomatic at baseline and presented the highest number of unscheduled healthcare visits per month and exacerbations per month, both at baseline and follow-up. Class 2 (n = 32) was characterized by female predominance, more frequent obesity, and uncontrolled upper/lower airways symptoms at baseline. At follow-up, there was a significant increase in the proportion of controlled lower airway symptoms (p < 0.001). Class 3 (n = 43) included mostly males with controlled lower airways symptoms; at follow-up, while keeping symptom control, there was a significant increase in exacerbations/month (p = 0.015). We have identified distinct phenotypes of persistent asthma in adolescents with different patterns in longitudinal asthma-related outcomes, supporting the importance of profiling asthma phenotypes in predicting disease outcomes that might inform targeted interventions and reduce future risk.
- The Portuguese Severe Asthma Registry: Development, Features, and Data Sharing PoliciesPublication . Sá-Sousa, A; Fonseca, JA; Pereira, AM; Ferreira, A; Arrobas, A; Mendes, A; Drummond, M; Videira, W; Costa, T; Farinha, P; Soares, J; Rocha, P; Todo-Bom, A; Sokolova, A; Costa, A; Fernandes, B; Chaves Loureiro, C; Longo, C; Pardal, C; Costa, C; Cruz, C; Loureiro, CC; Lopes, C; Mesquita, D; Faria, E; Magalhães, E; Menezes, F; Todo-Bom, F; Carvalho, F; Regateiro, FS; Falcão, H; Fernandes, I; Gaspar-Marques, J; Viana, J; Ferreira, J; Silva, JM; Simão, L; Almeida, L; Fernandes, L; Ferreira, L; van Zeller, M; Quaresma, M; Castanho, M; André, N; Cortesão, N; Leiria-Pinto, P; Pinto, P; Rosa, P; Carreiro-Martins, P; Gerardo, R; Silva, R; Lucas, S; Almeida, T; Calvo, TThe Portuguese Severe Asthma Registry (Registo de Asma Grave Portugal, RAG) was developed by an open collaborative network of asthma specialists. RAG collects data from adults and pediatric severe asthma patients that despite treatment optimization and adequate management of comorbidities require step 4/5 treatment according to GINA recommendations. In this paper, we describe the development and implementation of RAG, its features, and data sharing policies. The contents and structure of RAG were defined in a multistep consensus process. A pilot version was pretested and iteratively improved. The selection of data elements for RAG considered other severe asthma registries, aiming at characterizing the patient's clinical status whilst avoiding overloading the standard workflow of the clinical appointment. Features of RAG include automatic assessment of eligibility, easy data input, and exportable data in natural language that can be pasted directly in patients' electronic health record and security features to enable data sharing (among researchers and with other international databases) without compromising patients' confidentiality. RAG is a national web-based disease registry of severe asthma patients, available at asmagrave.pt. It allows prospective clinical data collection, promotes standardized care and collaborative clinical research, and may contribute to inform evidence-based healthcare policies for severe asthma.