“Adherence to therapy essential for asthma control”

“Asthma is an inflammatory disease characterized by prominent symptoms: coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. The severity of asthma is usually defined by the type of treatment the patient takes. In patients not taking the therapy, the level of severity is identified by the severity of the symptoms. To ensure the control of this pathology, however, it is very important that the patient takes the drugs regularly and that he adheres to the therapeutic plan prescribed by the specialist “. Thus Giovanna Elisiana Carpagnano, associate professor, director of the Postgraduate School of Respiratory Diseases at the University of Bari, in an interview published in ‘Aleati per la Salute’ (www.alleatiperlasalute.it), the portal dedicated to medical-scientific information created by Novartis. Most patients can achieve good asthma control with normal care. However, “for other patients – says Carpagnano – it is important to use further precautions suggested by the guidelines, that is to verify adherence to therapy; the inhalation technique; the presence of comorbidities, or exposure to risk factors”. Furthermore, the specialist remembers, “respiratory function must always be monitored and, if all this is not sufficient, it is necessary to add an additional therapy to the one already taken. The level of control must be checked at 3 and 6 months. despite all these measures, the patient continues to remain with poor symptom control, should be referred to a specialist experienced in severe asthma “. The treatment of asthma, to prevent exacerbations and have a good control of symptoms, “must be based on the use of drug therapy – specifies Carpagnano – which involves the use of inhaled steroids and reliever drugs, which the asthmatic patient should always have with you “. For the control of severe asthma it is also possible to resort to “non-pharmacological strategies – he adds – and it is important to manage comorbidities and pay particular attention to exposure to risk factors”. The asthmatic patient “should have absolute awareness of the disease and self-management – remarked the expert – This means: knowing how important it is to adhere to therapy, having a good inhalation technique and having written plans for one’s asthma management. The patient should also regularly perform their own medical checks “, she concludes. The complete interview is available at: https://www.alleatiperlasalute.it/whatsapp-con-il-medico/asma-non-controllato-cosa-implica