Aim To evaluate the consistency of adherence information given to clinicians by patients with obstructive lung disease and their relatives. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Patients and their relatives were independently questioned about the patients’ adherence to inhaler therapy. The consistency of the information given by the patients and their relatives in terms of patient’s adherence to the inhaler treatment was evaluated. Results Sixty-six patients, 42 followed up with a diagnosis of COPD, 24 with a diagnosis of asthma were included in the study. According to the patients’ own statements, the number of patients who regularly used the prescribed inhaler treatment was 59 (89.4%) while 7 (10.6%) patients reported that they used their inhalers irregularly. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of age, gender, education level, smoking, diagnosis, and duration of disease between adherents and non-adherents according to the patient’s own statement. According to the statements of their relatives, 17 (28.8%) of 59 patients who stated that they used the prescribed inhaler treatment regularly used their treatment irregularly. Conclusion The discrepancy determined between the statements given by the patients and their relatives about the adherence of the patients in our study revealed a serious problem in the assessment of adherence according to the patients’ statement. In this context, an approach that includes patient relatives in the assessment of adherence to inhaler therapy may help to evaluate adherence more accurately and to increase patient adherence.

Background: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination policies of countries are postulated to have effect on the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between March 11-June 10, 2020 in a chest clinic in a state hospital in Istanbul,Turkey. Adults with diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia confirmed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction positivity in a nasopharyngeal sample and pulmonary infiltrates in computed chest tomography were included consecutively. Sociodemographic characteristics, body-mass index, smoking status, comorbid diseases, income rates, and BCG-vaccination status were compared between severe and mild patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Results: Study population consisted of 123 adults (mean age, 49.7 years [standard deviation, 13.3 years]; 82 (66.7%) male). The proportion of BCG-vaccinated cases was significantly lower among severe patients than mild patients with COVID-19 pneumonia (68.5% vs 88.2%; p=.026). Mean age (54.0 ± 11.5 years vs 38.3 ±10.7 years; p <.001), diabetes rate (32.6% vs 5.9%; p=.002) and low-income (84.3% vs 52.9% p<.001) are higher in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia than in patients with mild COVID-19 pneumonia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that increasing age (odds ratio [OR], 1.112; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.058 – 1.169; p<.001) and low income (OR, 3.369; 95% CI, 1.074 – 10.570; p =.037) are associated with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Conclusion: Clinical data does not support that being vaccinated with BCG is associated with disease severity in COVID-19 pneumonia. Age and low-income are the major predictors for disease severity.