World Asthma Day 2017: read article on Asthma research in Europe from ERJ (Free full text)

Asthma is highly prevalent, often starting in infancy and persisting throughout life, and is associated with high morbidity and burden. It is a major global health challenge with growing impact, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide and at least 10% of all Europeans. Furthermore, it is the most prevalent long-term condition in children. Approximately 5–10% of asthma cases are so severe that current treatments do not work, and over five million people in the European Union (EU) fall into this category.

People with asthma live at risk of life-threatening asthma attacks, leading to at least 500 000 hospitalisations worldwide each year. A European study estimated that unscheduled care and rescue medication accounted for 47% of the total cost-per-patient in infants, 45% in children and 56% in adults. This results in high socio-economic impact, estimated at more than €70 billion annually. This includes the costs of direct primary and hospital healthcare (estimated to be close to €20 billion per annum), costs due to lost productivity (€14 billion), and the monetised value of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost (over €38 billion). Close to 1 million DALYs are lost due to asthma in Europe every year.

Despite the fact that the direct and indirect costs of asthma are substantial and continue to rise, asthma remains under-prioritised in the EU research agenda. Only 0.5% of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) health research budget was devoted to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (€30 million). In comparison, some 5.4 times this amount (over €163 million) was spent on cardiovascular conditions and some 20.6 times (over €618 million) on brain research.

Asthma, with its high global prevalence and an associated multi-billion global market for treatments, plus its historical underfunding and the demand for new treatments and diagnostics, represents an enormous opportunity to drive substantial economic growth. This paper sets out how the EU may capitalise on this via investment in research with high commercial potential that can radically improve the EUs research agenda and public health.

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http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/49/5/1602294

Asthma 2015 Guidelines: The 2015 update of the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention

The 2015 update of the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention incorporates new scientific information about asthma based on a review of recent scientific literature by an international panel of experts on the GINA Science Committee. It is the first annual update of the document since a major revision was launched on World Asthma Day, May 6, 2014. This comprehensive and practical resource about one of the most common chronic lung diseases worldwide contains extensive citations from the scientific literature and forms the basis for other GINA documents and programs.

You Can Control Your Asthma on World Asthma Day 2013

World Asthma Day 2013, organized and sponsored by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), will be held on May 7, 2013 as a partnership between health care groups and asthma educators to raise awareness about asthma and improve asthma care throughout the world.

The theme of World Asthma Day 2013 will be “You Can Control Your Asthma.” This year’s event continues the focus on this positive theme established over the past several years, and is consistent with the emphasis on asthma control set out in the latest versions of the GINA documents.

The event will also will also introduce a sub-theme, "It's Time to Control Asthma." Activity organizers around the world are encouraged to complete the sentence, "It's Time to..." as relevant to their event and target audience.

Asthma control is the goal of treatment and can be achieved in the vast majority of asthma patients with proper management.  A person’s asthma is under control when he or she has:

• No (or minimal) asthma symptoms. 
• No waking at night due to asthma.
• No (or minimal) need to use “reliever” medication.
• The ability to do normal physical activity and exercise.
• Normal (or near-normal) lung function test results (PEF and FEV₁).
• No (or very infrequent) asthma attacks.

A strategy for achieving and maintaining asthma control is set out in the GINA Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention.  The strategy requires four interrelated components of therapy:

·        Develop patient/doctor partnership.

·        Identify and reduce exposure to risk factors.

·        Assess, treat, and monitor asthma.

·        Manage asthma exacerbations.

Under this strategy, asthma is treated in a stepwise manner to achieve and maintain control of the disease.  Medication is increased—“stepped up”—when asthma is not controlled, and gradually stepped down once good control is achieved and maintained for a period of time.

World Asthma Day 2013 activities, many of which will be aimed at identifying and addressing opportunities for improved control of asthma, will be arranged within each country.  Examples include: 

-     Posters, billboards, stickers, newspaper articles and radio advertisements highlighting the messages that You Can Control Your Asthma and It’s Time to Control Asthma, the campaign to reduce asthma hospitalizations, and ways to achieve asthma control.

-     World Asthma Day 2013 musical concerts with performances from local people with asthma playing woodwind and brass instruments

-     Awards ceremonies for artwork, athletic contests, and stories of achievements realized from good asthma care

-     Clinics and health fairs to bring attention to asthma and provide information about reaching and maintaining asthma control.

The first World Asthma Day, in 1998, was celebrated in more than 35 countries in conjunction with the first World Asthma Meeting held in Barcelona, Spain. Participation has increased with each World Asthma Day since then, and the day has become one of the world’s most important asthma awareness and education events.

Today is World Asthma Day 2012!

Asthma is a serious global health problem. People of all ages in countries throughout the world are affected by this chronic airway disorder that, when uncontrolled, can place severe limits on daily life and is sometimes fatal. The prevalence of asthma is increasing in most countries, especially among children. Asthma is a significant burden, not only in terms of health care costs but also of lost productivity and reduced participation in family life.

GINA

GINA's (Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention) presents a comprehensive plan to manage asthma with the goal of reducing chronic disability and premature deaths while allowing patients with asthma to lead productive and fulfilling lives. 

GINA is a global guidelines which unites all our actual knowledge about treatment of this chronic disorder. It is updated every year, we are presenting you the last update which was published in December 2011. 

 

WE ARE CONGRATULATING EVERYBODY WITH THIS IMPORTANT DAY! HAPPY WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2012!