BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment of asthma symptoms is critical in research and clinical settings. A multidimensional asthma control questionnaire could provide more accurate information about asthma symptoms than global assessments, which often overestimate asthma control. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the efficacy of the Lara Asthma Symptom Scale (LASS) in adults with persistent asthma. METHODS:Participants were 18 to 64 years of age with persistent asthma. Data were collected at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. We described the construct and predictive validity of the LASS by comparing it with measures of pulmonary function (FEV(1)), asthma-specific quality of life (Juniper's Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [AQLQ]), and health care use (emergency department [ED] visits and hospitalizations). RESULTS:Three hundred eighty-three participants provided baseline data. The LASS had high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alpha = .84). LASS scores correlated significantly with baseline measures of FEV(1) (-0.20, P = .0002), AQLQ (-0.68, P < .0001), ED visits (0.17, P = .002), and hospitalizations (0.15, P = .008). Baseline LASS scores were associated significantly with ED visits (P = .03) and hospitalizations (P = .04) over the subsequent 12 months. Change in LASS scores over time correlated significantly with changes in FEV(1) (-0.22, P = .001) and AQLQ (-0.70, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The LASS demonstrated good internal consistency, excellent validity based on concurrent criterion validity and longitudinal predictive validity, and good discriminatory properties in a heterogeneous sample of adults with persistent asthma. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study validates a simple multidimensional asthma questionnaire as a clinical tool in the assessment of asthma control in adults.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment of asthma symptoms is critical in research and clinical settings. A multidimensional asthma control questionnaire could provide more accurate information about asthma symptoms than global assessments, which often overestimate asthma control. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the efficacy of the Lara Asthma Symptom Scale (LASS) in adults with persistent asthma. METHODS:Participants were 18 to 64 years of age with persistent asthma. Data were collected at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. We described the construct and predictive validity of the LASS by comparing it with measures of pulmonary function (FEV(1)), asthma-specific quality of life (Juniper's Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [AQLQ]), and health care use (emergency department [ED] visits and hospitalizations). RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-three participants provided baseline data. The LASS had high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alpha = .84). LASS scores correlated significantly with baseline measures of FEV(1) (-0.20, P = .0002), AQLQ (-0.68, P < .0001), ED visits (0.17, P = .002), and hospitalizations (0.15, P = .008). Baseline LASS scores were associated significantly with ED visits (P = .03) and hospitalizations (P = .04) over the subsequent 12 months. Change in LASS scores over time correlated significantly with changes in FEV(1) (-0.22, P = .001) and AQLQ (-0.70, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The LASS demonstrated good internal consistency, excellent validity based on concurrent criterion validity and longitudinal predictive validity, and good discriminatory properties in a heterogeneous sample of adults with persistent asthma. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: This study validates a simple multidimensional asthma questionnaire as a clinical tool in the assessment of asthma control in adults.
Authors: Michelle M Cloutier; Michael Schatz; Mario Castro; Noreen Clark; H William Kelly; Rita Mangione-Smith; James Sheller; Christine Sorkness; Stuart Stoloff; Peter Gergen Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2012-03 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Sandra R Wilson; Cynthia S Rand; Michael D Cabana; Michael B Foggs; Jill S Halterman; Lynn Olson; William M Vollmer; Rosalind J Wright; Virginia Taggart Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2012-03 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Michael D Cabana; Susan J Kunselman; Sharmilee M Nyenhuis; Michael E Wechsler Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2014-01 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Marielena Lara; Maria Orlando Edelen; Nicole K Eberhart; Brian D Stucky; Cathy D Sherbourne Journal: Eur Respir J Date: 2014-07-17 Impact factor: 16.671