Asthma diagnosis and treatmentWorldwide severity and control of asthma in children and adults: the global asthma insights and reality surveys☆
Section snippets
Methods
All surveys used the same standard protocol. The surveys were conducted in 29 countries in Western Europe (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine), Asia-Pacific (China, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam), the United States, and Japan.
Results
A total of 10,939 asthmatic patients (3153 children and 7786 adults) participated in the 29 countries surveyed. Basic demographic characteristics are presented in Table II. In all countries but Hong Kong, the majority of adult participants were women. In all countries other than Singapore and Latvia, most participating children were boys. The prevalence of smokers among adult asthmatic patients ranged from 5.6% in Latvia to 28.9% in Japan. Across all regions, the prevalence of adult asthmatic
Discussion
The global AIR surveys provide direct evidence for suboptimal asthma control in many patients worldwide, despite the availability of effective therapies, with long-term management falling far short of the goals in the GINA guidelines.1
Conclusion
The AIR surveys constitute the first large-scale international assessment of asthma effect and management in children and adults, with data from 10,939 patients in 29 countries. They allow us to conclude that the overall results observed in North America, Europe, Japan, and the Asia-Pacific region are comparable and equally poor when assessed against the goals specified in the GINA guidelines. Every effort should be made to encourage the widespread availability of peak flowmeters and written
Acknowledgements
We thank Dr John Boyle for his invaluable consultation, Dr Onno van Schayck for helpful comments on the manuscript, and Michael Ho for editorial assistance. The following investigators have also participated in local surveys: Teresita S. de Guia, MD, Philippine Heart Centre, Quezon City, Philippines; Kyohsuke Ishihara, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe West City Hospital; You-Young Kim, MD, PhD, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea; Sow-Hsong Kuo, MD, National Taiwan
References (23)
- et al.
Asthma severity and adequacy of management in accident and emergency departments in France: a prospective study
Lancet
(2001) - et al.
Inadequate use of asthma medication in the United States: results of the asthma in America national population survey
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2002) - et al.
Clinical management of asthma in seven European countries in 1999
Respir Med
(2002) - et al.
Asthma control in Asia-Pacific: the Asthma Insights and Reality In Asia-Pacific Study
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(2003) - et al.
Pattern of anti-asthmatic drug utilization in Hong Kong compared to other parts of the world
Respir Med
(1989) - et al.
Epidemiologic and socioeconomic aspects of allergic diseases
J Allergy Clin Immunol
(1986) The myth of mild asthma
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol
(2002)Global strategy for asthma management and prevention. NHLBI/WHO workshop report
(1995)Global Strategy for asthma management and prevention
(2002)- et al.
Do clinical guidelines introduced with practice based education improve care of asthmatic and diabetic patients? A randomised controlled trial in general practice in east London
BMJ
(1995)
Worldwide variations in the prevalence of asthma symptoms: the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC)
Eur Respir J
Cited by (0)
- ☆
Supported by GlaxoSmithKline R&D.