Underrecognition of the severity of asthma and undertreatment of asthma in a rural area of Japan.
OBJECTIVE
Revised guidelines were released in Japan in 2003 for the assessment, treatment, and management of adult asthmatics, and similar guidelines for child asthmatics were released in 2002. We reassessed the severity and possible undertreatment of asthma according to these guidelines in stable asthmatics.


METHODS
We reviewed medical records of 861 well-controlled asthmatic patients who, in April through June 2004 were cared for by 47 pulmonologists at 29 medical centers and 13 asthma clinics in a rural community in the San-in area of Japan. The physician obtained completed medical records about their symptoms and current treatment of the subjects, 726 adult and 135 children (aged 6 years or older) who were in stable condition and had had no exacerbations in the previous 3 months. The severity of asthma and current treatment for each patient were assessed according to the newly revised Japanese guidelines for the assessment, treatment, and management of adult and child asthmatics.


RESULTS
In adult and child asthmatics, the percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1.0) was smaller and has a narrower distribution range than the percentage of predicted peak expiratory flow (PEF). When the severity of asthma was classified according to symptoms alone, 50% and 35% of those classified as mildly asthmatics patients with adults and children, respectively, had moderate to severe airflow limitation. Inhaled corticosteroids were prescribed to 90.6% of adult and 14.9% of child patients. When we compared the treatments that patients were actually receiving against the optimal treatments indexed according to a combined symptoms-FEV1.0 classification, we found that 49% of adult asthmatics were overtreated, 21% were properly treated, and 30% were undertreated. Among children, the respective percentages were 35%, 25%, and 40%.


CONCLUSIONS
In well-controlled adult and child asthmatics, the severity of asthma is poorly judged when symptoms alone are considered. We suggest that the severity of asthma should be assessed through a combination of symptoms and the measurement of FEV1.0 during office visits. We also suggest that the proper dose of inhaled steroid needed to maintain stable conditions should be judged according to this combined symptoms-FEV1.0 classification.
Tomita
Katsuyuki
K
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, and Department of Respiratory Medicine, San-in Rosai Hospital, Japan. tom0223@grape.med.tottori-u.ac.jp
Hanaki
Keiichi
K
Hasegawa
Yasuyuki
Y
Watanabe
Masanari
M
Sano
Hiroyuki
H
Igishi
Tadashi
T
Burioka
Naoto
N
Hitsuda
Yutaka
Y
Horimukai
Kenta
K
Fukutani
Kouji
K
Sugimoto
Yuji
Y
Yamamoto
Mitsunobu
M
Kato
Kazuhiro
K
Ikeda
Toshikazu
T
Konishi
Tatsuya
T
Tokuyasu
Hirokazu
H
Kawasaki
Yuji
Y
Yajima
Hiroki
H
Sejima
Hitoshi
H
Isobe
Takeshi
T
Takabatake
Toshikazu
T
Shimizu
Eiji
E
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012423:Rural Health; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013806:Theophylline / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists; D013806:Theophylline