COMORBID PATHOLOGY IN PATIENTS WITH BRONCHIAL ASTHMA: LITERATURE REVIEW

The article contains a literature review that presents the results of studies of the prevalence of comorbidy in patients with bronchial asthma (BA), as well as the gender- and age-related characteristics of comorbidity in such patients. More than half of asthma patients suffer from the comorbid pathology, which negatively affects the clinical course of asthma, as well as the quality of life. The number of chronic comorbid diseases increases with age, on average to 5 comorbid conditions in BA patients aged 75 years and older. The most common diseases, the prevalence of which increases with age, are cardiovascular, ophthalmological and otolaryngological diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Female patients with BA, as a rule, are more likely to suffer from comorbid diseases, and on average have more comorbid pathologies than men. The comorbid diseases with the largest gender difference in prevalence are recurrent urinary tract infection, thyroid diseases, migraine and osteoporosis, which are prevalent in women. Among the factors and mechanisms influencing the presence and course of comorbid pathology in asthma patients, there are factors that have an effect before birth and during early childhood, systemic inflammation, hyperinsulinemia, leukotrienes and mitochondrial dysfunction. Despite the vast amount of data, research results are often quite contradictory; further investigations of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between comorbid pathology and asthma are necessary.