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Asthma in America is one of the largest national surveys ever conducted about asthma. Researchers interviewed 2,509 people with asthma (or their parents), 512 doctors and 1,000 members of the general public on many aspects of the condition.
The findings reveal that asthma is being poorly managed in America -- frequency and severity of symptoms, limitations on activities, use of quick-relief medications and other indicators show that the U.S. is missing the mark in terms of asthma care. Additional interviews conducted with people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area reveal that the same holds true for the roughly 148,000 asthma patients in the area. Some key findings are highlighted below.
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Many Patients in the Twin Cities Are Uninformed
The survey reveals widespread misunderstanding about the causes and treatment of asthma. In the Twin Cities, 68% of asthma patients believe there is a “strong need” for patient education.
- Only 15% of asthma patients could name inflammation as the underlying cause of asthma symptoms.
- 45% thought it was possible to treat only asthma attacks and symptoms, not their underlying cause.
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Many Patients in the Twin Cities Treat the Symptoms of Asthma, Not the Disease Itself
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines recommend anti-inflammatory medication for patients with mild, moderate or severe persistent asthma. However, many patients in the Twin Cities appear to be treating only the symptoms of asthma and not the underlying inflammation:
- 67% of patients who use a quick-relief inhaler use it three times a week or more -- indicating a need for long-term control medication, according to the NHLBI guidelines.
- About 1 in 4 people (24%) with persistent asthma take inhaled corticosteroids, the anti-inflammatory drugs the guidelines call “the most effective long-term control medication for asthma, and the preferred initial therapy for patients with persistent asthma” for patients five years of age and older.
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Closing the Patient-Provider Communications Gap May Help
The national survey reveals real disparities between what doctors say and what patients say -- and suggests a communications gap exists between asthma patients and their healthcare providers.
- 70% of doctors say they use spirometry to measure patient airflow on an ongoing basis, but only 35% of patients report having a lung-function test in the past year.
- 92% of doctors say anti-inflammatory drugs are either “essential” or “very important” in the long-term management of persistent asthma, but only 19% of asthma patients report using anti-inflammatory medication in the past four weeks.
- 70% of doctors say they prepare a written action plan for their patients, but only 27% of patients say their doctor has developed one for them.
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Minneapolis Not Reaching Asthma Goals
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Asthma in America reveals that many people in the Minneapolis metropolitan area are not achieving the goals for asthma care that have been established by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).* A point-by-point comparison:
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| National Goals of Asthma Therapy |
Minneapolis Survey Findings |
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| No sleep disruption |
- 29 percent of asthma patients awakened by breathing problems at least once a week
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| No missed school or work |
- 24 percent of asthma patients have missed school or work because of asthma in the past year
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No (or minimal) need for
ER visits/hospitalizations |
- 18 percent of children with asthma went to emergency room for asthma attacks in the past year
- 30 percent of all people with asthma were hospitalized, treated in emergency rooms or required other urgent care for their asthma in the past year
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| Maintain normal activity levels |
- 40 percent of patients limited in sports/recreation
- 25 percent limited in normal physical exertion
- 21 percent limited in their social activities
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Have normal or near-normal
lung function |
- Only 38 percent of patients report having had a lung-function test in past year
- Only 35 percent have a peak-flow meter to monitor their airflow; 4 percent report using it at least once a week
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* According to the NHLBI’s Practical Guide for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma: “The goals of asthma therapy provide the criteria that the clinician and patient will use to evaluate the patient’s response to therapy.” (p. 7)
Asthma in America was conducted by Schulman, Ronca and Bucuvalas, Inc., a research firm specializing in health issues, and was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, a research-based pharmaceutical company. In addition to the national sample, 1,834 households were screened in metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul to yield a combined local probability sample of 130 area residents with asthma. The maximum expected sampling error for a simple random sample of 2,509 (e.g., the national patient survey) is ± 2.0% at the 95% confidence level. The maximum expected sampling error for the Minneapolis-St. Paul data is ± 8.6% at the 95% confidence level. For more information about the survey or its methodology, please visit www.AsthmaInAmerica.com. |
