Survey reveals poor compliance with asthma therapy in UK patients
Less than a quarter of adults with asthma in the UK comply with their asthma therapy — a much lower figure than in other countries — according to a survey reported at this week’s British
Thoracic Society winter meeting in London.
The Global Asthma Physician and Patient survey of 1,726 adults with asthma
revealed that only 24 per cent of the 101 UK respondents took their asthma
therapy as prescribed, compared with 48 per cent of patients in other
countries throughout Europe, the US and Australia. Less than one-third
(32 per cent) of UK patients reported that they were compliant more than
half the time.
The main reasons that people gave for not taking their asthma treatment
included their belief that they did not need to take their treatment
if symptoms went away and their concern about side effects. Of those
reporting side effects, 42 per cent changed the dose of their asthma
treatment and 36 per cent skipped a dose. David Price, professor of primary
care respiratory medicine at the University of Aberdeen, suggested that
greater efforts were needed to use inhaled corticosteroids with minimal
side effects and more co-ordinated care from the entire primary care
team to improve education and monitoring. “Pharmacists are important
in this. They are often aware of how a patient is taking their asthma
therapy and of adherence issues,” he said.
The survey was developed by a group of independent academics supported
by an educational grant from Altana Pharma. |
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