TY - JOUR T1 - Dedicated severe asthma services improve healthcare utilisation and quality of life JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 42 IS - Suppl 57 SP - P3644 AU - David Gibeon AU - Suzanne Regan AU - Christopher Brightling AU - Rob Niven AU - Adel Mansur AU - Rekha Chaudhuri AU - Christine Bucknall AU - Neil Thomson AU - Kian Fan Chung AU - Liam Heaney AU - Andrew Menzies-Gow Y1 - 2013/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/P3644.abstract N2 - Introduction:5% of asthmatics have severe disease. This group have a high morbidity and represent a significant unmet clinical need. Patients referred with difficult asthma to centres within the BTS severe asthma registry undergo a Systematic Assessment of Severe Asthma (SAA), comprising a set of coordinated investigations accompanying a detailed history and examination.Methods:493 patients, collected as part of the National Registry for dedicated UK Difficult Asthma Services, underwent a SAA. Lung function, healthcare utilisation, medication burden and QoL at baseline were compared with outcomes after one year.Results:397 (81%) patients were diagnosed with severe asthma. 56% of patients had a significant comorbidity. At follow-up (median 286-days [248–376]) more patients were receiving anti-IgE-therapy or steroid-sparing agents. There were significant reductions in healthcare utilisation and improved QoL.View this table:Table 1:Conclusion:Entry into dedicated severe asthma services provides a structured and thorough assessment, which identifies alternative/additional diagnoses, leading to targeted interventions, improved care and reduced healthcare utilisation and improved QoL. ER -