[Knowledge and attitudes about aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease among Ecuadorian physicians].

BACKGROUND: Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is an asthma phenotype that involves high costs and significant burden for health systems.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of knowledge and attitudes towards AERD among Ecuadorian physicians.

METHODS: Descriptive, observational study. A questionnaire about knowledge on the disease and attitude towards it (confidence in the treatment and importance of AERD, measured with a Likert scale) was developed. The answers about knowledge were dichotomized into right and wrong; attitude was rated as high or low. Means and percentages were obtained; the answers of doctors with or without specialty were compared using the chi-square test.

RESULTS: One-hundred eighteen physicians participated. The age was 41.3 ± 11.7 years; 48.3 % were specialists. Less than 50% answered correctly the questions about knowledge. Specialist physicians obtained more correct answers regarding first symptoms, prevalence and leukotriene overproduction (67.9 %, 46.3% and 90.7 %), when compared with general practitioners (45.0 %, 25% and 74.6 %) (p < 0.05). More than 70 % of physicians indicated high confidence in the identification of patients with AERD. There were no significant differences in attitudes (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Medical education programs should be developed in order to improve the level of knowledge about AERD.