Symptom control alone is not enough; asthma control and exacerbations also need to be addressed

A reference period of the past 4 weeks was used to obtain a measure of asthma control using symptom frequency. More than 2 out of 5 adult and adolescent asthma patients 12 years of age and older surveyed reported that in the past 4 weeks they had daytime symptoms:

• Every day (16%)
• Most days (11%)
• At least twice a week (15%)

There was a striking difference between patient perception of their asthma control and the level of asthma control achieved using the objective criteria devised for the survey. Despite the frequency of daytime and nighttime symptoms and symptoms during exercise, play, or physical exertion during the past 4 weeks:

• Approximately 7 out of 10 asthma patients reported that their asthma was either well controlled (40%) or completely controlled (31%) in that same time period

There is also a strong relationship between asthma control, using an objective measure based on the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Expert Panel Report 3 (NAEPP EPR3) guidelines, and acute care for asthma in the past 12 months.

• Only 1% of adult and adolescent patients 12 years of age and older surveyed with well controlled asthma were hospitalized overnight for their asthma in the past 12 months, compared with 3% of those whose asthma was not well controlled, and 12% of those with very poorly controlled asthma

Reference Slides

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