Review on Moderate to Severe Asthma in Primary Care

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic condition characterized by wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath due to airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness. Severe asthma accounts for a considerable amount of asthma-related costs, although being less common than milder asthma.  According to a review of US studies, the expenses for people with severe asthma are roughly 1.7- to 5-fold higher than for people with mild asthma. A subspecialized severe asthma services provides the benefit of an organized, variety of approaches to validate the diagnosis, asthma severity and phenotype, and risk factors and comorbidities management. This multimodal approach frequently comprises a team of respiratory physicians, nurses, and support health specialists, such as physiotherapists, speech therapists, nutritionists, and clinical psychologists. In addition to evaluation and monitoring for common comorbidities, they provide physician review, lung function testing, blood tests, inhaler optimization, and general illness awareness. This review aims to overview approach to diagnosis and management of moderate to severe asthma in primary care settings.