WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., June 1 (UPI) -- Uncontrolled asthma is highly prevalent in patients using standard asthma medications, found a U.S. survey of moderate to severe asthma patients.
The survey of 1,812 patients revealed that asthma was not controlled in 55 percent, despite the fact that most had health insurance and visited their healthcare providers regularly, according to the study published in the June issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
"Even more shocking was the finding that 38 percent of controlled asthmatics and 54 percent of uncontrolled asthmatics reported having had an asthma attack during which they feared for their life," lead author Dr. Stephen P. Peters, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said in a statement.
The Web-based survey was administered to patients with a diagnosis of asthma for at least one year who were prescribed standard therapy for preventing symptoms.
Uncontrolled asthma has been associated with significant costs. In 2003, asthma caused about 24.5 million missed days of work, 12.7 million physician office visits and 1.2 million outpatient visits.
