There is a disconnect between the perceived control some asthma patients have and the real-world symptoms they exhibit, according to study results in the current issue of the Primary Care Respiratory Journal.
In reviewing questionnaires completed by 1,083 patients with self-reported asthma, investigators found “a need to help patients change some of their beliefs and understanding about asthma, and to improve asthma management with better education about the understanding of control for patients and HCPs.”
“Respondents’ low expectations of achieving asthma control and the discrepancy between perceived control and symptoms may reflect misunderstandings regarding the term ‘asthma control’,” the authors wrote. ” Some patients may consider good asthma crisis management – such as knowing what to do when they become symptomatic or have an attack – as being in control of their asthma.”
With regard to future patterns of asthma control, researchers also found that more than 80% of respondents accepted they would experience symptoms in the future, and that asthma would have an impact on their life.
