RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Clinical management and outcome of refractory asthma in the UK from the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry
JF Thorax
JO Thorax
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society
SP 754
OP 756
DO 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2012-201869
VO 67
IS 8
A1 Joan Sweeney
A1 Chris E Brightling
A1 Andrew Menzies-Gow
A1 Robert Niven
A1 Chris C Patterson
A1 Liam G Heaney
A1 on behalf of the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Network
YR 2012
UL http://thorax.bmj.com/content/67/8/754.abstract
AB Refractory asthma represents a significant unmet clinical need. Data from a national online registry audited clinical outcome in 349 adults with refractory asthma from four UK specialist centres in the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Network. At follow-up, lung function improved, with a reduction in important healthcare outcomes, specifically hospital admission, unscheduled healthcare visits and rescue courses of oral steroids. The most frequent therapeutic intervention was maintenance oral corticosteroids and most steroid sparing agents (apart from omalizumab) demonstrated minimal steroid sparing benefit. A significant unmet clinical need remains in this group, specifically a requirement for therapies which reduce systemic steroid exposure.