Asthma insights and reality in Turkey (AIRET) study

Abstract

Background: Several international surveys have reported low levels of asthma control compared to the levels set by the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines.

Methods: In Turkey, 8350 households were surveyed and 400 current asthmatics responded a structured questionnaire on symptom severity, activity limitations and disease management.

Results: Most of the 55 children and 345 adults were classified as having persistent asthma (72.7% and 88.1%, respectively). In adult asthmatics, 31.3% reported current cigarette smoking and 10.7% being former smokers. Guideline-based asthma control was achieved in only 1.3% of participants. Three-quarters of children and more than 90% of adults were experiencing daytime symptoms. Most of adult patients and children reported an unfavorable impact of asthma on their social lives, and only half had ever had a lung function test. Daily anti-inflammatory therapy, including inhaled corticosteroids, was low in patients with persistent disease. Patients underestimated their disease severity and overestimated their level of disease control.

Conclusions: The low level of asthma control in this Turkish population, together with the underestimation of disease severity and control by the patients, high smoking rates and low level of preventive medicine usage indicate a need for better implementation of current guidelines and patient education on asthma in Turkey.