The role of asthma guidelines in achieving current control and reducing future risk

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that is associated with fluctuating control, based on factors such as allergen exposure and viral infections. This fluctuation in symptoms gives rise to the challenge of motivating patients to take medications when they feel well and also to respond to a worsening of their asthma control by adjusting the antiinflammatory component of treatment at such time. It remains a major public health burden and from a public health perspective perspective is a major driver of health care costs. [1] Ultimately, of course, in the absence of access to medications, appropriate education on how to use medications, especially at the time asthma worsens, the patient will commonly have poorly controlled asthma. In addition, we now recognize the heterogeneity of asthma especially in terms of severe asthma and that currently available therapies are not adequate to achieve control.