title: The level of control of mild asthma in general practice: an observational community-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present community-based study was to evaluate the level of asthma control in patients with mild asthma, regularly treated with inhaled steroids (ICS).
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational cross-sectional study included patients registered in the general practitioner (GP) database and with at least three prescriptions of ICS in the last 12 months. Patients were asked to refer to the doctor's office for a standardised interview. The level of asthma control was self-measured by the patients using the Asthma Control Test (ACT)™ (Quality Metric, Inc.).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 950 asthmatic patients, referred by 540 GPs: 54.5% were females, mean age was 51 (±19.1) years; 59.5% were non-smokers, 22.5% were current smokers and 18.0% were former smokers; 81.1% of the patients were on ICS in the last 4 weeks. Only 38.6% of patients had a spirometry in the last 12 months. According to the ACT, 13.7% of the asthmatic patients were totally controlled, 51.0% well controlled, and 35.3% poorly controlled. Smoking habit, older age (>60) and living in Central or Southern Italy were associated with poorer control. In the last 12 months 4.5% of patients had an asthma-related hospitalisation, 5.3% an emergency visit and 18.9% a specialist visit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than one of three patients had poor asthma control, despite being considered by their GPs as mild asthmatics and treated with ICS. Asthmatic patients need to be regularly re-evaluated. Treatment is often inadequate and should be targeted to improve control and reduce asthma morbidity (SAM104964).
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, Verona University Hospital , Verona , Italy .
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caminati
authors.forename: Germano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bettoncelli
authors.forename: Maria Sandra
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Magnoni
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rizzi
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Testi
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Passalacqua
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caramori
authors.forename: Gianenrico
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Senna
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058666:Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013147:Spirometry
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D058666:Adrenergic beta-2 Receptor Agonists; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents