1. About 235 million people worldwide have asthma and this number is growing.

2. In the Caribbean, the prevalence of clinical asthma is 10.4 per cent.

3. Asthma represents an important cause of hospital admissions in many islands of the Caribbean, particularly among children.

4. In addition, asthma causes about 250,000 deaths globally and in the Western world, one in 10 people develop asthma at some point in their lives.

Many people are not aware that asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that narrows the airways. Asthma cannot be cured, only controlled; and for that, people should be treated for a long period of time.

Asthma can start at any age. Nonetheless, more than half of the people show their first symptoms at the age of 10 and many children have their first attack before they reach the age of six.

People with asthma never experience the disease in the same way because the symptoms vary in intensity over time. Many people see diminished quality of life by feeling shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and tightness in the chest. Despite that, and the number of treatments that exist to control asthma, more than half of patients (53.5 per cent) have poor control of their disease.

This situation has resulted in the need to increase awareness of asthma symptoms and control. Many patients can experience a better quality of life if they have the knowledge of how to recognise the symptoms and are familiar with the treatments that are available.

What if a person does not control his asthma?

When a person does not control his/her asthma, troublesome symptoms such as shortness of breath and coughing can affect daily activities, such as going to school or work. Poorly treated asthma can limit the quality of life significantly because the symptoms are more acute over time.

Control of asthma is highly dependent on patients following prescribed treatment regimens. When patients are not clear on how to use drugs prescribed to treat and control asthma, they are likely to stop using medication. This leads to inflammation, worsening of symptoms and an increase in the severity of the disease, ultimately diminishing the quality of life.

If asthma is not properly treated, the symptoms will recur and bronchi, which are any of the major air passages of the lungs which diverge from the windpipe, will remain swollen. These increase the likelihood of a crisis and the need for more frequent emergency room visits.

New treatments to optimise asthma control

Unlike other areas of medicine, respiratory medicine is not only based on the development of safe drugs with proven efficacy, but also the integration of technology that improves the ability of the medicine to get into the area where it is most needed — the bronchi.

The good news for asthma patients is that there are improvements in the treatments available to control the disease.

The asthma medications are classified as drivers and rescuers. Both drugs are administered in an inhaled form, because it is proven to be the most effective way to administer medications that control asthma. Today, there is greater understanding of the importance of inhalers to help patients control their asthma. This improves the likelihood of following treatment, which results in patients feeling better and experiencing a positive difference in their quality of life.

Currently, there are drugs available that incorporate new technologies, are more intuitive and easy to use. For example, in three steps — open, inhale and close — inhalers administer medication to control asthma for 24 hours with just one daily inhalation.

While it is estimated that 235 million people around the world suffer from asthma, there is a high rate of incidence of missed diagnosis of the disease, leading to patients not getting appropriate treatment.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world’s leading research, pharmaceutical and health care companies, considers it important to implement treatments that optimise asthma control. With more and better information available, people can make major changes in the way they control their symptoms and treat their illness.

Asthma management must be done individually. Each patient responds to medication in a different way. Effective control requires an ongoing relationship and effective communication between patient and doctor.