Influence of current or former smoking on asthma management and control

BACKGROUND: In patients with asthma,smoking has been associated with accelerated decline in pulmonary function, pool. disease control and reduced responsiveness to corticosteroids. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of current and former smoking on selfreported asthma control and health care use in a large population of asthma patients. METHODS: The present. analysis was conducted following a telephone survey of adult Canadians aged 18 to 54 years who had physician-diagnosed asthma and a smoking history of less than 20 pack-years. RESULTS: Of 893 patients, 268 were former smokers and 108 were current smokers. Daytime and nighttime symptoms, absenteeism front work or school, emergency carC use for asthma in the past year, and use of a short-acting bronchodilator without controller medication were reported more frequently by Current smokers than nonsmokers and former smokers. Former smokers were nor significantly different front nonsmokers with respect to most asthma Outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Current smokers with asthma show evidence of poorer asthma control and greater acute care needs than lifelong nonsmokers or former smokers. These observations stress the importance of smoking cessation to help achieve asthma control.