Extract
The management of severe asthma in daily clinical practice is challenging. It requires meticulous characterisation and close monitoring of the patients, and high-dose treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/long-acting β2-agnoists and add-on medications. Severe asthma add-on treatments include systemic steroids that have side-effects and increased long-term risk, and/or biologicals that are effective in specific phenotypes but should be used in a targeted manner and have high cost. Therefore, these medications should be prescribed after careful selection of the patients and close follow-up over at least a few months. Moreover, before resorting to add-on treatments for severe uncontrolled asthma, it is important to examine exposure to triggers such as allergens or irritants, comorbidities, and importantly, adherence to treatment and proper use of inhaler devices [1, 2], as adherence to ICS regimens is a pivotal factor in achieving optimal asthma control.
Abstract
Combining electronic devices with traditional methods, a good patient–doctor relationship, and mutual, informed decisions about treatment might provide the best inhaler adherence in severe asthma http://ow.ly/Ra8630gDQm3
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: None declared.
- Received October 28, 2017.
- Accepted November 15, 2017.
- Copyright ©ERS 2018