Assessment of the Drug Use Evaluation for Bronchial Asthma in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Bangalore, India

Objective: To assess the drug utilization evaluation for bronchial asthma in a tertiary care hospital, Bangalore. Methodology: This was a prospective observational study carried out for in-patients in the department of general medicine. Data collection form was prepared based on the requirements of the study which includes patient demographic details and patient medical and mediation detail the specific types of data necessary for the study were recorded for each patient encountered and entered directly into the form. A total of 150 inpatients were enrolled in the study and their prescriptions were studied for the data collection. All data were entered into a computer into a computer spreadsheet: Microsoft Excel and double checked before the calculations were done. Computations of drug use pattern were carried out as earlier described. Following literature review, the drug use evaluation for bronchial asthma from this study were compared with those obtained in previous similar studies. Result: The present study was carried out for a period of six months in a tertiary care hospital Bangalore. A total of 150 patients were enrolled in the study for the evaluation of drug utilization. Out of 150 patients 61.33% (n=92), were males and 38.16% (n=58), were females. In the present study was also found that the patients were having different symptoms such as 50%, of patients having shortness of breathing. 33.3% were having wheezing, 23.33% of cough with sputum, 16.66% were having chest tightness, 10% were having dry cough,6.66% were having headache, 16% of night awakening, 16.66 of the patients were having interference of normal activity. Majority of the asthma attack was found in the patients of age group between 30-41 age of years, that is 38%. 72.665 of total patients were in the severity grading of mild intermittent asthma. Majority of patients were having habits of tobacco smokers 30% and alcoholism 16.66% only 38.66% of total were non users of alcohol or tobacco smoke. The commonly prescribed anti asthmatics were SABA 86.66% corticosteroids 5.36%, antihistamines 31.33%, methylxanthines6.66%, LT receptor antagonist 4,66%, and anticholinergics were Salbutamol with ipratropium 54% and salbutamol with beclomethasone 17.33%, budesonide with formoterol 9.335, and salbutamol + fluticasone. Conclusion: In the prevent study, majority of patients were in the severity grading of mild persistent group.  The social history of the patients helps to find out the cause of asthma attack, which included the alcoholics and tobacco smokers. An alleviating the use of tobacco smoking helps to reduce the asthma attack. Tobacco smokes may adhere to the moist airways of the patients and it leads to the damage of cilia, which helps to sweep out the mucus and dust out of the airways. The commonly used anti asthmatics were beta2 agonist and corticosteroids followed by antihistamines and methylxanthines in the monotherapy. Fixed dose combinations used commonly are salbutamol with ipratropium bromide and salbutamol with beclomethasone.