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We conducted a large global survey, Still Fighting for Breath, in patients with severe persistent asthma, 10 years after the Fighting for Breath survey to assess the impact of disease on patients' lives and to determine if control and management have changed in recent years. Data were collected from 1333 adults (aged >18 years) and caregivers of children (aged 6–17 years) with severe persistent asthma from nine countries through an online survey conducted in 2016 by GfK. A decade after the first survey, our results showed that the impact of severe asthma has not changed significantly and a high proportion of patients with severe asthma remain inadequately controlled. A large discrepancy was observed between the proportion of patients who perceived their asthma to be well controlled (42%) and the proportion of patients who reported to be well controlled as per the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) assessment (6%). Although most patients perceived their asthma to be controlled, many experienced frequent symptoms that affected their daily lives. Thus, there is a need for improved management (support and strategies) of patients with severe persistent asthma and improved coordination of efforts that would enable these patients to achieve better disease control., There is a need for improved management of patients with severe persistent asthma to achieve better disease control http://ow.ly/rv5K30mQdGG

Objective: To assess the impact of severe asthma on daily life (asthma control, activity, psychological aspects, treatment). Methods: Data were collected from 1333 adults and children (through caregivers) with severe persistent asthma in 9 countries through an online survey done by GfK on behalf of Novartis in 2016 (Table 1a). Results: Severe asthmatics were diagnosed by respiratory physicians (42%), general practitioners (30%), allergists (21%) and paediatricians (6%). On average, adults were diagnosed 15 years ago, adolescents 7 years and pediatrics 3 years ago. As per patients’ knowledge, 47% were non-allergic. A large discrepancy was seen between real-life control according to GINA guidelines (6%) and self-estimated control (42%). In the previous year, 73% of patients experienced exacerbations that required treatment from a healthcare professional (emergency room, ambulance, physician at home); 34% had ≥2 exacerbations (13%, three; 7%, four; 3%, five; 11%, more than 5). On an average, 20 days of OCS use was reported in the last 6 months. The impact on psychology and activities is shown in Table 1b. Conclusions: Although asthma control is GINA’s main goal, severe asthmatics are uncontrolled with poor quality of life as reflected in their psychological profile and everyday activities. There is a strong disconnect between perceived and actual asthma control. More action is needed to help severe asthmatics achieve control and live normal unrestricted lives.