Comparação entre dois métodos de avaliação do controle da asma baseados na percepção individual / Comparison between two methods of asthma control evaluation based on individual perception

RESUMO

OBJETIVO: Comparar a percepção subjetiva do controle da asma informada pelo paciente com aquela obtida por meio do escore do Asthma Control Questionnaire com seis questões (ACQ-6) em pacientes com asma grave e verificar se o controle da asma está associado ao número de visitas a salas de emergência no mês anterior. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de 528 pacientes acompanhados na Central de Referência do Programa para Controle da Asma e Rinite Alérgica na Bahia, entre agosto de 2008 e março de 2010, em Salvador (BA). Os pacientes responderam ao ACQ-6 e a uma questão adicional específica para avaliar sua percepção do controle da doença na semana prévia. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliados 423 pacientes, que preencheram os critérios de inclusão. A maioria era do gênero feminino (81,3%) e possuía renda familiar menor que dois salários mínimos (64,3%). A média de idade foi de 49,85 ± 13,71 anos, e a duração dos sintomas de asma foi de 32,11 ± 16,35 anos. Os pacientes eram regularmente tratados no programa há 36,65 ± 18,10 meses. Baseados na percepção subjetiva do controle, 8% dos pacientes consideraram a sua asma não controlada, enquanto 38,8% obtiveram escore do ACQ > 1,5, indicando falta de controle. O coeficiente kappa revelou fraca concordância entre os dois métodos. Houve uma associação direta entre falta de controle e número de visitas a emergência no mês anterior (p < 0,001). CONCLUSÕES: Nesta amostra de pacientes, a percepção subjetiva do paciente sobre o controle da asma diferiu da medida por meio do ACQ-6, e os pacientes superestimaram seu controle, trazendo risco de subtratamento.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the subjective perception of asthma control reported by the patient with that measured by the score obtained on the Asthma Control Questionnaire 6-item version (ACQ-6) in patients with severe asthma and to determine whether asthma control is associated with the number of emergency room visits in the previous month. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 528 patients treated at the Bahia State Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis Control Program Central Referral Clinic between August of 2008 and March of 2010, in the city of Salvador, Brazil. The patients completed the ACQ-6 and answered a specific additional question in order to evaluate their own perception of asthma control in the previous week. RESULTS: We evaluated 423 patients who met the inclusion criteria. The sample was predominantly female (81.3%), and 64.3% had an income lower than two times the national minimum wage. The mean age was 49.85 ± 13.71 years, and the duration of asthma symptoms was 32.11 ± 16.35 years. The patients had been regularly treated via the program for 36.65 ± 18.10 months. Based on the subjective perception of asthma control, only 8% of the patients considered their asthma to be uncontrolled, whereas 38.8% had an ACQ-6 score > 1.5, which indicates poor control. The kappa statistic revealed poor concordance between the two methods. There was a direct association between uncontrolled asthma and the number of emergency room visits in the previous month (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of patients, the subjective perception of asthma control differed from that measured by the ACQ-6 score, and the patients overestimated their own level of asthma control, which puts them at risk of being undertreated.