Factors associated with severe uncontrolled asthma and the perception of control by physicians and patients

• Published in: Archivos de bronconeumología (English ed.) 2014-09, Vol.50 (9), p.384-391
• Main Authors: Vennera, María del Carmen, Picado, César, Herráez, Lys, Galera, Jordi, Casafont, Jordi
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; spa
• Subjects: Asthma - drug therapy; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitude to Health; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Guideline Adherence; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Physicians; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Severity of Illness Index
• ISSN: 1579-2129
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arbres.2014.03.002

Despite current treatments, more than half of patients with asthma are not controlled. The objective was to evaluate the correlation between control perceived by patients and physicians, compared with control evaluated according to criteria of the Spanish Guidelines for Asthma Management (GEMA), and to investigate the factors associated with that control. Multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study including 343 patients with severe persistent asthma according to GEMA criteria seen in the Department of Pulmonology and Allergology. The correlation between asthma control perceived by the patient, the physician and according to clinical judgment based on the GEMA criteria was calculated, and a multivariate analysis was used to determine variables related to the perception of asthma control. According to GEMA criteria, only 10.2% of patients were well controlled, 27.7% had partial control and 62.1% were poorly controlled. Both the physicians and the patients overestimated control: 75.8% and 59.3% of patients had controlled asthma according to the patient and the physician, respectively, and were not controlled according to GEMA (P