Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36452015›Full record

ArticleAsia Pacific allergy2022

The Melbourne epidemic thunderstorm asthma event 2016: a 5-year longitudinal study.

Felicity Huang, David H Wang, Chuan T Foo, Alan C Young, Jie Shen Fok, Francis Thien

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Asia Pacific allergy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Asia Pacific allergy · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Felicity HuangEastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6533-4509
David H WangEastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4913-9639
Chuan T FooEastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1497-9830
Alan C YoungEastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0718-1564
Jie Shen FokEastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3450-0877
Francis ThienEastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0925-6566
Eastern Health · AUMonash University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: In 2016, Melbourne was struck by the world's largest and most devastating epidemic thunderstorm asthma (ETSA) episode. While affected individuals displayed worsened short-term asthma control, little is known about their longer-term natural history, nor about interventions that restore control. Objective: We assessed the asthma symptomatology and related behaviours of ETSA-affected individuals through a single-centre prospective 5-year longitudinal study. We embedded an open-label observational trial investigating the role of grass pollen sublingual tablet (Oralair) allergen immunotherapy in improving asthma and allergic rhinitis symptoms. Methods: Allergic rhinitis symptom severity, frequency of asthma symptoms and inhaled corticosteroid usage were assessed via questionnaire yearly. In 2018, a subgroup of participants was enrolled in an observational study of Oralair treatment compared to control. The active group received Oralair from 2019 to 2021; both groups were followed-up for 5 years. Subgroup analyses were performed for participants with complete datasets, and who completed the trial per-protocol. Results: Year-on-year data across 5 years was available for 30 participants. The rate of persistent asthma symptoms declined from 37% to 7% in 2016 to 2021. Only 10%-27% of participants reported being completely asymptomatic in any given year. The inhaled preventer prescription rate was 67%, with only 35% being adherent. Twenty-seven participants with available data completed the Oralair trial per-protocol. No significant difference was noted between control and active groups for allergic rhinitis symptoms or asthma control, although the Oralair group saw a significant improvement in asthma control comparing 2019 with 2021. Conclusion: This is the longest documented follow-up of ETSA-affected individuals. Five years following sentinel event, there was progressive reduction but some persistence in asthma symptoms. Oralair allergen immunotherapy did not further improve allergic rhinitis or asthma symptoms compared to control, but there were no further ETSA events to test a protective effect during the study period.

Indexed as

AsthmaEnvironmentEpidemicsNatural historyPathophysiologyPublic health

Identifiers

PMID36452015
PMCPMC9669468
OpenAlexW4310589415

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.