Epidemiological characterization of adults with asthma treated in the outpatient clinic of a second-level hospital in Ecuador

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a highly prevalent disease with great impact on socio-economic costs, whose prevention, detection, and treatment constitute a public health policy worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of patients with asthma in a second level hospital in Cuenca. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving the electronic medical records of 121 patients with a diagnosis of asthma attending an outpatient pneumology service for one year. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The prevalence was 15.4%. The mean age was 50.26±16.4 years. The most common occupation was agriculture and fishing (17.4%). 79.3% of the patients came from the Azuay province, most of them from Cuenca city. 20.7% had a history of smoking. 66.9% reported exposure to foreign agents, such as chemicals, biomass, and dust. The most frequent comorbidities were rhinitis (28.5%) and GERD (20.7%). Disease control questionnaires were not applied. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a description of the sociodemographic characteristics of patients with asthma in a second level hospital in Cuenca. These findings may be useful for improving asthma education and care strategy planning, as well as in identifying patient groups with particular needs. Additional research with larger samples is recommended to corroborate these results and design more precise and effective interventions