Patient Guidelines Issued by European Asthma Group

An asthma patient manifesto has been issued by a European asthma group that calls for national patient groups, health-care professionals, and policy makers to help implement a program of changes that will improve the quality of life for asthma patients worldwide. The manifesto was issued during the recent 7th Annual Congress of the European Federation of Asthma and Allergy Associations (EFA, Brussels, Belgium; www.efanet.org) held in Visegrad, Hungary.

"More than 150 million people suffer from asthma across the world. This is the first manifesto that addresses asthma from their perspective,” said professor Erkka Valovirta, president of the EFA. "Patients are often unaware of the goals of long-term asthma management, as put forward in professional guidelines.”

The manifesto highlights the need for asthma patients to have easy-to-understand information, regular contact with their doctor, and a personalized treatment plan that clarifies the importance of regular inhaled corticosteroid treatment. Because patients do not always fully understand their medication, they are often overly reliant on their bronchodilators. New advances in maintenance treatments, which include single inhalers with adjustable dosing, can improve overall control. Prevention is also an important aspect of asthma control. The manifesto calls upon pan-European and national governments to take immediate action on air pollution as a necessary step in preventing asthma attacks and reducing prevalence.

The EFA, formed by eight European countries in 1991, now represents 19 countries and has become one of the most important patient associations in Europe.




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