Prevalence of Asthma in Catalonia (Spain): A Retrospective, Large-Scale Population-Based Study

Abstract

Background: According to epidemiological studies, the estimated global prevalence of asthma is 4.3%-8.6% in adults, with vast differences between geographical regions. This study analyzes a more significant population of asthma patients (473 737 individuals). Objectives: To study the prevalence of a medical diagnosis of asthma overall and by age, sex, and disease severity, as well as comorbidities, type 2 biomarkers, and medical treatments in a retrospective population-based asthma cohort from Catalonia (Spain). Methodology: Individuals with a diagnosis of asthma based on medical records at various health care levels (primary, hospital, and emergency) from the Catalan Health System were included. Sociodemographic characteristics, prevalence (overall and by age and sex), disease severity, comorbidities, and biomarkers of type 2 inflammation were evaluated, as was appropriate medical treatment. Results: The overall diagnosed prevalence of asthma in the population of Catalonia was 6.3%. Patients mainly had mild asthma (5.3%), with a significant difference between females and males (6.8% vs 5.7%, respectively). By age group, asthma was more prevalent in boys and young adult men until age 30, although this trend reversed, becoming more prevalent in females aged >30 years. The prevalence of severe asthma was 0.4%. Asthma was uncontrolled in 42.6%, and a high proportion (84.2%) were receiving systemic corticosteroids. As expected, short-acting ß agonists were the most prescribed drug (62.6%), followed by systemic corticosteroids (43.3%). More than half of the patients (53.8%) had type 2 inflammation. Conclusions: The prevalence of asthma in Catalonia is similar to that reported for other areas of Spain, with a high prevalence in women and the type 2 profile.