%0 Journal Article %A Arne Weber %A Bernd Hagen %A Sabine Groos %A Jens Kretschmann %A Christine Macare %T Patients’ characteristics and change of asthma symptoms compared to the previous year. Results from the Disease Management Program (DMP) Bronchial Asthma in the North Rhine region in Germany %D 2019 %R 10.1183/13993003.congress-2019.PA2605 %J European Respiratory Journal %P PA2605 %V 54 %N suppl 63 %X Introduction and Objectives: The emphasis of this study is to analyze if DMP asthma patients, who suffer more often from asthma symptoms in comparison to the preceding year, differ in a systematic way from patients with a decline of asthma symptoms in the same period.Methods: Medical records from general practitioners and pneumologists in the ambulatory setting were used. A logistic regression analysis was conducted for all 108,090 adult DMP participants (mean age 54.8; 65.5 % female).Results: In 2018 11,738 adult asthma patients indicate less often asthma symptoms than in 2017 (group 1). Besides, 10,099 patients suffer from a higher frequency of asthma symptoms in in relation to the year before (group 2).Patients in group 1 are younger (55.6 vs. 56.2 years) and do not participate in the program as long as patients in group 2 (6.0 vs. 6.4 years). Moreover patients in group 1 are more often female (68.6 vs. 68.1%), take more often part in a patient education program (51.3 vs. 49.5%), have fewer ED visits in the last six months (0.7 vs. 1.2%) and get to a lesser extent LABA (66.5 vs. 67.3%) or OCS (13.0 vs. 14.2%) prescribed.Under control for age, sex, smoking status and comorbidity the strongest predictors for a reduction of symptoms are the existence of written action plans (OR 1.35 CI95 1.28-1.43) and a long program participation (OR 1.38; CI95 1.31-1.47).Conclusion and Discussion: Patients with a decline of asthma symptoms differ from other asthma patients in some points. Methods of empowerment like written action plans and participation in patient educations might support a better asthma control.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2019; 54: Suppl. 63, PA2605.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only). %U