The cost of asthma control

Abstract

Asthma care has advanced significantly. This is attributed to a better understanding of clinical disease phenotypes and overlapping molecular endotypes amenable to therapy. Despite improvements inasthma care, rates of asthma control remain suboptimal. Adult asthma rates in Asia are lower than that in Europe; however, emerging trends and ageing populations in Asia mean that disease burden is likely to rise. Early work published over a decade ago suggests that levels of asthma control within the Asia-Pacific were short of that expected from international guidelines. Recent data derived from the Asia-Pacific Asthma Insights and Management (AIM) survey reveal some potential explanations: more than half of all participants reported completely or well-controlled asthma but concurrently two-thirds admitted to an exacerbation averaging 5 days and missed work or school time. This discordance in understanding asthma control among Asian patients is further evidenced by data from the REcognise Asthma and LInk to Symptoms and Experience (REALISE) Study that assessed perception of asthma control and attitudes towards treatment in 2467 patients in a real-life setting. Patients were found to consistently overestimate their levels of asthma control contrary to symptoms and critically found to perceive the management of exacerbations as a control measure.