Data from digital inhalers reveals an increased
use of rescue inhalers for asthma symptoms due to short-term
exposure to ozone, even below the ozone level set by the EPA
New data from digital inhalers confirms that exposure to the air
pollutant ozone is strongly linked to increased use of inhaled
medications for asthma symptoms, according to a new study from
CommonSpirit Health; Propeller Health; University of California,
Berkeley; and University of California, San Francisco, published in
Environment International.
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Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases in
the United States, resulting in more than $82 billion a year in
healthcare costs. In the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys of
California, people have unusually high levels of asthma-related
emergency department visits and hospitalizations. This prompted
CommonSpirit to study environmental factors that could be worsening
asthma symptoms for its patients.
CommonSpirit partnered with Propeller Health; University of
California, Berkeley; and University of California, San Francisco
to come up with a solution. Researchers gave connected inhalers to
287 patients in the two areas to manage and track the onset of
asthma symptoms. They were able to capture the date, time and
location of medication use and determine whether that use was
associated with increased levels of ozone in the air. The air
pollutant ozone is formed when pollution from cars, power plants
and refineries reacts to sunlight. When ozone reaches unhealthy
levels, it can cause wheezing, shortness of breath and other
adverse symptoms, particularly in people with pre-existing
respiratory illnesses such as asthma or chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set the level
of safe ozone in the air at 70 parts per billion (ppb). This study
found that when ozone concentrations in the air increased by just
17 ppb, children used their rescue inhalers 11.3% more often, and
adults used them 8.4% more often, even when average ozone levels in
the air in this study (26 ppb) were more than 60% lower than the
EPA's recommended level.
“There’s been strong evidence that air pollution leads to more
emergency department visits, hospitalizations and mortality for
asthma patients, but it’s been very difficult to measure its effect
on daily symptoms,” said Meredith Barrett, PhD, study co-author and
head of Population Health Research at Propeller Health. “By using
sensors to passively collect data on the time and place of
symptoms, we can draw a clearer line between pollution and poor
health.”
Previous studies on the effects of ozone exposure have been
limited for several reasons. First, researchers have had to use
people’s residential addresses to determine where they may have
been exposed to ozone, rather than being able to evaluate their
exposure throughout the day. Some past studies have also relied on
patients to self-report their symptoms, which can be burdensome for
patients and result in incomplete data.
With connected inhalers, researchers can pinpoint the exact time
and location of a patient’s medication use and cross-reference that
information with data on ozone levels where they are, without
requiring patients to perform tedious record-keeping.
“The data we are now able to collect and analyze on
environmental conditions helps us more closely engage with our
patients so we can help keep them healthier and improve their
quality of life,” said Rajan Merchant, MD, co-author of the study
and a practicing physician and asthma expert at the Dignity Health
Medical Foundation in Woodland and Davis, which is part of
CommonSpirit Health. “Incorporating digital health tools into
medical treatment allows us to extend care beyond the clinic and
deepen our understanding of how patients are impacted by the
environment on a daily basis.”
“These findings are particularly relevant at a time when many
cities and countries around the world are grappling with higher
levels of ozone due to increased traffic emissions and global
warming,” said John Balmes, MD, UC Berkeley School of Public
Health, senior author of the study, and world-renowned expert on
air pollution and health. “Recent studies have confirmed that ozone
doesn’t just damage the lungs, but other organs in the body as
well, making research into the impact of ozone all the more
crucial.”
The Propeller digital health platform helps patients and
providers plan for changes in air quality by learning a patient’s
environmental sensitivities, such as ozone or humidity, and sharing
that information with the patient and their provider. This helps
inform decisions such as where or when a patient exercises on a day
with high ozone levels, or whether a clinician adjusts their
treatment plan based on seasonal increases in ozone. In cases where
Propeller is used by a parent to manage their child’s condition,
Propeller can help a parent anticipate environment-related symptoms
and prepare their child accordingly.
CommonSpirit has partnered with Propeller Health since 2012 to
bring connected inhalers to asthma patients. Last year, their
research showed that the use of connected inhalers helped to drive
down asthma-related emergency department utilization by 54
percent.
About Propeller Health
Propeller Health is a leading digital health company dedicated
to making life better for every person with chronic respiratory
disease. Propeller creates products to more effectively treat
chronic respiratory disease and improve clinical outcomes for
patients through connectivity, analytics and companion digital
experiences. The Propeller platform is used by patients, physicians
and healthcare organizations in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Propeller Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of ResMed (NYSE: RMD,
ASX: RMD). For more information, visit www.propellerhealth.com.
About CommonSpirit Health
CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system
dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in
February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives
and Dignity Health. CommonSpirit Health is committed to creating
healthier communities, delivering exceptional patient care, and
ensuring every person has access to quality healthcare. With its
national office in Chicago and a team of approximately 150,000
employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians,
CommonSpirit Health operates 137 hospitals and more than 700 care
sites across 21 states. In FY 2019, Catholic Health Initiatives and
Dignity Health had combined revenues of nearly $29 billion and
provided $4.45 billion in charity care, community benefit and
unreimbursed government programs. Learn more at
commonspirit.org.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200204005258/en/
For media Rachel Fields +1 630.901.8265
rachel.fields@propellerhealth.com
Joann Wardrip +1 415.438.5543
Joann.wardrip@dignityhealth.org
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