Misperception of poor asthma control in the outpatients clinic of a tertiary hospital in Rio de Janeiro / Má percepção da falta de controle da asma em ambulatório de hospital terciário do Rio de Janeiro

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the proportion of patients with asthma with misperception of poor control of their disease. Methods A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of patients with asthma and aged ≥18 years. Asthma control was assessed by the Asthma Control Test and the Global Initiative for Asthma questionnaire. The Kappa coefficient was used to analyze the agreement between the results of these tests and the patients' perception of asthma control, defined by the response to one question of the Asthma Control Test: "How do you evaluate your asthma control during the last 4 weeks?". Results Among the 71 patients aged 19 to 81 years and a mean of 57.7±13.9 years, there were 27 (38%) controlled, according to the Asthma Control Test, and 18 (25.3%) using the Global Initiative for Asthma questionnaire. The Kappa coefficients of the results of these tests and the perception of control by the patients were 0.4 and 0.29, respectively. Among the 41 (57.7%) patients who considered themselves controlled, 18 (43.9%) had a misperception of their poor control, as per the Asthma Control Test, and 25 (61%) by the Global Initiative for Asthma. Conclusion Applying the Asthma Control Test, it was observed that almost half of the participants had a misperception of their poor control of the disease and, according to the Global Initiative for Asthma questionnaire, more than half of the sample did not notice the lack of asthma control.

RESUMO Objetivo Determinar a proporção de pacientes com asma com percepção inadequada do mau controle de sua doença. Métodos Estudo transversal com amostra de conveniência de pacientes com asma e idade ≥18 anos. Avaliou-se o controle da asma por meio do Asthma Control Test e do questionário do Global Initiative for Asthma. Utilizou-se o coeficiente Kappa para análise da concordância entre os resultados desses testes e a percepção do controle da asma pelo paciente, definida pela resposta a uma questão do Asthma Control Test: "Como você avalia o controle da sua asma durante as últimas 4 semanas?". Resultados Entre os 71 pacientes com idades entre 19 e 81 anos e média de 57,7±13,9 anos, existiam 27 (38%) controlados, segundo o Asthma Control Test, e 18 (25,3%) de acordo com o questionário do Global Initiative for Asthma. Os coeficientes de Kappa entre os resultados desses testes e a percepção do controle pelos pacientes foram, respectivamente, 0,4 e 0,29. Entre os 41 (57,7%) pacientes que se consideravam controlados, 18 (43,9%) tinham percepção inapropriada do seu mau controle, de acordo com o Asthma Control Test, e 25 (61%) segundo o Global Initiative for Asthma. Conclusão Aplicando-se o Asthma Control Test, observou-se que quase metade dos participantes tinha percepção inadequada de seu mau controle da doença e, segundo o questionário da Global Initiative for Asthma, mais da metade da amostra não percebeu o descontrole da asma.

High rate of detection of OXA-23-producing Acinetobacter from two general hospitals in Brazil

Abstract INTRODUCTION In recent decades, the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter isolates has increased, and the production of oxacillinase (OXA)-type carbapenemases is the main mechanism underlying resistance. We evaluated OXA production from 114 Acinetobacter isolates collected between March and December 2013 from different clinical specimens of patients in two hospitals (Hospital 1 [n = 61] and Hospital 2 [n = 53]) located in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We also evaluated the genetic diversity of OXA-producing isolates. METHODS All the isolates were identified through the automated system Vitek II and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry MALDI-TOF MS as belonging to the A. baumannii-A. calcoaceticuscomplex. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were verified through agar diffusion tests. The presence of OXA-encoding genes was confirmed by PCR. The genetic diversity of isolates positive for carbapenemase production was analyzed through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. RESULTS There was a high rate of resistance to carbapenems in the isolates (imipenem: 96%; meropenem: 92%) from both hospitals. Moreover, a high percentage (95.6%) of OXA-23-positive isolates was observed for both hospitals, indicating that this was the main mechanism of carbapenem-resistance among the studied population. In addition, most isolates (96.5%) were positive for bla OXA-51. A high genetic diversity and a few major genotypes were found among the OXA-23-positive isolates analyzed. Only intra-hospital dissemination was observed. CONCLUSIONS The elevated dissemination of bla OXA-23-like observed among Acinetobacter isolates from both the studied hospitals highlights the need for continuous epidemiological surveillance in these institutions.