Treatment Patterns Among Adult Patients With Asthma

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Abstract
ASTHMA IS a common disease characterized by inflammation of the airways and reversible obstruction to airflow. The annual economic burden of asthma in the United States was recently estimated to be $5.1 billion.1 In 1997, more than 30.5 million prescriptions for asthma medications were filled, and patients had approximately 1.2 million emergency department visits and 445 000 hospitalization days.1 While the disease has substantial impact on health care costs and patient morbidity, there are effective treatments and interventions to control symptoms of asthma and to prevent acute care visits. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Project (NAEPP)2,3 and international guidelines4 have emphasized the appropriate use of pharmacotherapy, including greater use of anti-inflammatory medications to control symptoms and the judicious use of inhaled rescue medications for short-term relief. These recommendations are grounded in the medical literature. Clinical trials and observational studies have shown that inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) in adequate amounts prevent asthma symptoms, improve pulmonary physiological characteristics, and may reduce resource use for asthma attacks5-8; observational studies have shown that overuse of inhaled β-agonists is associated with death and near death.9,10