Awareness and usage of inhalers among patients with asthma: findings from REALISE Asia

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIM: A recent patient survey (REALISE) noted that despite the availability of effective treatments, asthma control remains low in Europe. Contributing factors include poor treatment adherence. We present here data from a similar survey in Asia, looking at impact of awareness and usage of inhalers on asthma control. METHODS: Patients were recruited via validated consumer panels across 8 countries in Asia. A total of 2,467 patients with asthma completed the online survey (46% females, mean age 34 years). RESULTS: Majority (88%) of respondents were taking some form of medication for their asthma: 54% used a reliever inhaler, 25% on controller inhaler, and 36% on oral medication. 35% of all respondents reported that they had to use their reliever inhaler ≥3 times in the past 7 days. Of the respondents who had a reliever inhaler, their average use was 2.8 times in the past week. Among those who reported having a controller inhaler, only 14% used it daily, 43% said they used it on some days, and 7% never used it at all. Over 40% cited that they did not see the need to take daily medication. Nearly half (48%) of the patients mentioned that inhaler use is a real nuisance, and 47% disagreed that they need to take their controller inhaler regularly to control their asthma. Among those who cited they have inhalers, only 39% and 35% were able to correctly classify their inhalers as controller and reliever respectively. Looking at GINA-defined level of control, a statistically significant larger proportion of respondents who named their controller inhaler correctly were well-controlled (14%), than those who answered incorrectly (6%; p = 0.05). The same pattern was seen for those who correctly classified their reliever inhaler (16%) versus those who were incorrect (7%; p = 0.05). Patients who correctly identified their inhalers were also significantly more likely to use it daily compared to those who were not able to do so (30% vs 17%; p = 0.05). By the same token, significantly more patients who incorrectly named their controller inhaler used it on irregular basis (e.g. only on some days) compared those who are able to do so (53% vs 36%; p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Asian patients with asthma are not always able to correctly identify their medications. This emphasizes the need for health care professionals to take time to explain to patients the difference between controller and reliever medications, since such awareness is associated with better adherence and level of asthma control.