Better asthma treatment

PATIENTS MUST HAVE MOST APPROPRIATE INHALERS FOR NEEDS 14th most important disorder in terms of extent and duration of disability.

Asthma is still a significant problem globally, with the Global Asthma Report listing the disease as the 14th most important disorder in the world in terms of the extent and duration of disability, but new treatments are available.

While current treatment programmes are effective for patients with mild-to-moderate asthma, the disease can escalate to acute asthma or even become unresponsive to current treatment efforts, placing patients at increased risk of dying from the disease, Professor David Price of Primary Care Respiratory Medicine at the University of Aberdeen said.

Price told the recent Cipla Respiratory Symposium in the Cape on Saturday that poor asthma control was the result of poor disease control practices, incorrect estimation of disease severity and risk, inadequate symptom control, incorrect use of medication, poor inhaler technique or a lack of written and personalised asthma action plans.

“One vital aspect that has to be improved across the board is communication activities with regards to asthma treatment guidelines,” he noted.

Price added that an analysis of real-world primary care patients proved that the odds of achieving asthma control were significantly better for patients initiating inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy via a breath-actuated device (BAI) or a dry power inhaler, compared with a pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) as well as patients who receive an ICS dose increase via BAI compared with a pMDI.

“Inhaler errors and non-adherence to treatment are the key contributors to poor asthma control.

“Treatment adherence and inhaler errors have a direct effect on the asthma patient’s outcome.

“However, new approaches to asthma disease treatment and management are significantly changing the way forward for patients,” he said.

“This needs to be addressed with real urgency and more scrutiny. Patients should at least be in a position where they have access to the most appropriate inhalers for their specific needs and be able to operate their personal devices.” – Citizen reporter