Prevalence and management of severe asthma in the Nordic countries: findings from the NORDSTAR cohort

Susanne Hansen; Anna von Bülow; Patrik Sandin; Olivia Ernstsson; Christer Janson; Lauri Lehtimäki; Hannu Kankaanranta; Charlotte Ulrik; Bernt Bøgvald Aarli; Hanna Fues Wahl; Kirk Geale; Sheila Tuyet Tang; Maija Wolf; Tom Larsen; Alan Altraja; Helena Backman; Maritta Kilpeläinen; Arja Viinanen; Dora Ludviksdottir; Paula Kauppi; Asger Sverrild; Sverre Lehmann; Vibeke Backer; Valentyna Yasinska; Tina Skjold; Jussi Karjalainen; Apostolos Bossios; Celeste Porsbjerg

doi:10.1183/23120541.00687-2022

Prevalence and management of severe asthma in the Nordic countries: findings from the NORDSTAR cohort

Susanne Hansen^*, Anna von Bülow, Patrik Sandin, Olivia Ernstsson, Christer Janson, Lauri Lehtimäki, Hannu Kankaanranta, Charlotte Ulrik, Bernt Bøgvald Aarli, Hanna Fues Wahl, Kirk Geale, Sheila Tuyet Tang, Maija Wolf, Tom Larsen, Alan Altraja, Helena Backman, Maritta Kilpeläinen, Arja Viinanen, Dora Ludviksdottir, Paula KauppiAsger Sverrild, Sverre Lehmann, Vibeke Backer, Valentyna Yasinska, Tina Skjold, Jussi Karjalainen, Apostolos Bossios, Celeste Porsbjerg

^*Corresponding author for this work

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Real-life evidence on prevalence and management of severe asthma is limited. Nationwide population registries across the Nordic countries provide unique opportunities to describe prevalence and management patterns of severe asthma at population level. In nationwide register data from Sweden, Norway and Finland, we examined the prevalence of severe asthma and the proportion of severe asthma patients being managed in specialist care.

METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study based on the Nordic Dataset for Asthma Research (NORDSTAR) research collaboration platform. We identified patients with severe asthma in adults (aged ≥18 years) and in children (aged 6-17 years) in 2018 according to the European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society definition. Patients managed in specialist care were those with an asthma-related specialist outpatient contact (only available in Sweden and Finland).

RESULTS: Overall, we identified 598 242 patients with current asthma in Sweden, Norway and Finland in 2018. Among those, the prevalence of severe asthma was 3.5%, 5.4% and 5.2% in adults and 0.4%, 1.0%, and 0.3% in children in Sweden, Norway and Finland, respectively. In Sweden and Finland, 37% and 40% of adult patients with severe asthma and two or more exacerbations, respectively, were managed in specialist care; in children the numbers were 56% and 41%, respectively.

CONCLUSION: In three Nordic countries, population-based nationwide data demonstrated similar prevalence of severe asthma. In children, severe asthma was a rare condition. Notably, a large proportion of patients with severe asthma were not managed by a respiratory specialist, suggesting the need for increased recognition of severe asthma in primary care.

Original language	English
Article number	00687-2022
Journal	ERJ Open Research
Volume	9
Issue number	2
ISSN	2312-0541
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00687-2022
Publication status	Published - Mar 2023

Access to Document

10.1183/23120541.00687-2022

Cite this

Hansen, S., von Bülow, A., Sandin, P., Ernstsson, O., Janson, C., Lehtimäki, L., Kankaanranta, H., Ulrik, C., Aarli, B. B., Fues Wahl, H., Geale, K., Tang, S. T., Wolf, M., Larsen, T., Altraja, A., Backman, H., Kilpeläinen, M., Viinanen, A., Ludviksdottir, D., ... Porsbjerg, C. (2023). Prevalence and management of severe asthma in the Nordic countries: findings from the NORDSTAR cohort. ERJ Open Research, 9(2), [00687-2022]. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00687-2022

Hansen, S , von Bülow, A, Sandin, P, Ernstsson, O, Janson, C, Lehtimäki, L, Kankaanranta, H, Ulrik, C, Aarli, BB, Fues Wahl, H, Geale, K, Tang, ST, Wolf, M, Larsen, T, Altraja, A, Backman, H, Kilpeläinen, M, Viinanen, A, Ludviksdottir, D, Kauppi, P, Sverrild, A, Lehmann, S, Backer, V, Yasinska, V, Skjold, T, Karjalainen, J, Bossios, A & Porsbjerg, C 2023, 'Prevalence and management of severe asthma in the Nordic countries: findings from the NORDSTAR cohort', ERJ Open Research, vol. 9, no. 2, 00687-2022. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00687-2022

@article{9e70eb2c59d34785bb70128506929d98,

title = "Prevalence and management of severe asthma in the Nordic countries: findings from the NORDSTAR cohort",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Real-life evidence on prevalence and management of severe asthma is limited. Nationwide population registries across the Nordic countries provide unique opportunities to describe prevalence and management patterns of severe asthma at population level. In nationwide register data from Sweden, Norway and Finland, we examined the prevalence of severe asthma and the proportion of severe asthma patients being managed in specialist care.METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study based on the Nordic Dataset for Asthma Research (NORDSTAR) research collaboration platform. We identified patients with severe asthma in adults (aged ≥18 years) and in children (aged 6-17 years) in 2018 according to the European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society definition. Patients managed in specialist care were those with an asthma-related specialist outpatient contact (only available in Sweden and Finland).RESULTS: Overall, we identified 598 242 patients with current asthma in Sweden, Norway and Finland in 2018. Among those, the prevalence of severe asthma was 3.5%, 5.4% and 5.2% in adults and 0.4%, 1.0%, and 0.3% in children in Sweden, Norway and Finland, respectively. In Sweden and Finland, 37% and 40% of adult patients with severe asthma and two or more exacerbations, respectively, were managed in specialist care; in children the numbers were 56% and 41%, respectively.CONCLUSION: In three Nordic countries, population-based nationwide data demonstrated similar prevalence of severe asthma. In children, severe asthma was a rare condition. Notably, a large proportion of patients with severe asthma were not managed by a respiratory specialist, suggesting the need for increased recognition of severe asthma in primary care.",

author = "Susanne Hansen and {von B{\"u}low}, Anna and Patrik Sandin and Olivia Ernstsson and Christer Janson and Lauri Lehtim{\"a}ki and Hannu Kankaanranta and Charlotte Ulrik and Aarli, {Bernt B{\o}gvald} and {Fues Wahl}, Hanna and Kirk Geale and Tang, {Sheila Tuyet} and Maija Wolf and Tom Larsen and Alan Altraja and Helena Backman and Maritta Kilpel{\"a}inen and Arja Viinanen and Dora Ludviksdottir and Paula Kauppi and Asger Sverrild and Sverre Lehmann and Vibeke Backer and Valentyna Yasinska and Tina Skjold and Jussi Karjalainen and Apostolos Bossios and Celeste Porsbjerg",

note = "Copyright {\textcopyright}The authors 2023.",

year = "2023",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1183/23120541.00687-2022",

language = "English",

volume = "9",

journal = "ERJ Open Research",

issn = "2312-0541",

publisher = "European Respiratory Society",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Prevalence and management of severe asthma in the Nordic countries

T2 - findings from the NORDSTAR cohort

AU - Hansen, Susanne

AU - von Bülow, Anna

AU - Sandin, Patrik

AU - Ernstsson, Olivia

AU - Janson, Christer

AU - Lehtimäki, Lauri

AU - Kankaanranta, Hannu

AU - Ulrik, Charlotte

AU - Aarli, Bernt Bøgvald

AU - Fues Wahl, Hanna

AU - Geale, Kirk

AU - Tang, Sheila Tuyet

AU - Wolf, Maija

AU - Larsen, Tom

AU - Altraja, Alan

AU - Backman, Helena

AU - Kilpeläinen, Maritta

AU - Viinanen, Arja

AU - Ludviksdottir, Dora

AU - Kauppi, Paula

AU - Sverrild, Asger

AU - Lehmann, Sverre

AU - Backer, Vibeke

AU - Yasinska, Valentyna

AU - Skjold, Tina

AU - Karjalainen, Jussi

AU - Bossios, Apostolos

AU - Porsbjerg, Celeste

PY - 2023/3

Y1 - 2023/3

N2 - BACKGROUND: Real-life evidence on prevalence and management of severe asthma is limited. Nationwide population registries across the Nordic countries provide unique opportunities to describe prevalence and management patterns of severe asthma at population level. In nationwide register data from Sweden, Norway and Finland, we examined the prevalence of severe asthma and the proportion of severe asthma patients being managed in specialist care.METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study based on the Nordic Dataset for Asthma Research (NORDSTAR) research collaboration platform. We identified patients with severe asthma in adults (aged ≥18 years) and in children (aged 6-17 years) in 2018 according to the European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society definition. Patients managed in specialist care were those with an asthma-related specialist outpatient contact (only available in Sweden and Finland).RESULTS: Overall, we identified 598 242 patients with current asthma in Sweden, Norway and Finland in 2018. Among those, the prevalence of severe asthma was 3.5%, 5.4% and 5.2% in adults and 0.4%, 1.0%, and 0.3% in children in Sweden, Norway and Finland, respectively. In Sweden and Finland, 37% and 40% of adult patients with severe asthma and two or more exacerbations, respectively, were managed in specialist care; in children the numbers were 56% and 41%, respectively.CONCLUSION: In three Nordic countries, population-based nationwide data demonstrated similar prevalence of severe asthma. In children, severe asthma was a rare condition. Notably, a large proportion of patients with severe asthma were not managed by a respiratory specialist, suggesting the need for increased recognition of severe asthma in primary care.

AB - BACKGROUND: Real-life evidence on prevalence and management of severe asthma is limited. Nationwide population registries across the Nordic countries provide unique opportunities to describe prevalence and management patterns of severe asthma at population level. In nationwide register data from Sweden, Norway and Finland, we examined the prevalence of severe asthma and the proportion of severe asthma patients being managed in specialist care.METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study based on the Nordic Dataset for Asthma Research (NORDSTAR) research collaboration platform. We identified patients with severe asthma in adults (aged ≥18 years) and in children (aged 6-17 years) in 2018 according to the European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society definition. Patients managed in specialist care were those with an asthma-related specialist outpatient contact (only available in Sweden and Finland).RESULTS: Overall, we identified 598 242 patients with current asthma in Sweden, Norway and Finland in 2018. Among those, the prevalence of severe asthma was 3.5%, 5.4% and 5.2% in adults and 0.4%, 1.0%, and 0.3% in children in Sweden, Norway and Finland, respectively. In Sweden and Finland, 37% and 40% of adult patients with severe asthma and two or more exacerbations, respectively, were managed in specialist care; in children the numbers were 56% and 41%, respectively.CONCLUSION: In three Nordic countries, population-based nationwide data demonstrated similar prevalence of severe asthma. In children, severe asthma was a rare condition. Notably, a large proportion of patients with severe asthma were not managed by a respiratory specialist, suggesting the need for increased recognition of severe asthma in primary care.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85153731153&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1183/23120541.00687-2022

DO - 10.1183/23120541.00687-2022

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37020835

VL - 9

JO - ERJ Open Research

JF - ERJ Open Research

SN - 2312-0541

IS - 2

M1 - 00687-2022

ER -

Prevalence and management of severe asthma in the Nordic countries: findings from the NORDSTAR cohort

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this