New study reveals true impact of severe asthma in Europe
pharmafile | September 29, 2015 | News story | Research and Development |Â Â ERS2015, asthmaÂ
The results of a new, comprehensive survey have revealed the true burden of severe asthma faced by patients across Europe.
At the ERS Congress 2015 in Amsterdam, Boston Scientific presented survey results which show severe asthma affects a quarter of sufferers on a daily basis, and a huge 71% weekly.
Of more than 850 respondents, 32% identified social activities as the aspect of their life most affected by their asthma, while other lifestyle aspects commonly impacted included work (23%) family life (17%), and sexual activity (17%). Some 37% experienced anxiety in the past month, while 30% experienced depression.
The disease also puts substantial strain on healthcare budgets. There are around 1.5 million people living with the condition in Europe, a fifth of whom are said to be severe. Some 250,000 people die from the condition worldwide each year, and it costs Europe close to €20 billion every year.
Asthma was also shown to more frequently hospitalised young people, who were forced to stay in clinics for 3.1 days a year in average.
Experts have issued a call to action to improve care for severe asthma sufferers across Europe. Speaking at the event, Dr Rob Niven, a consultant respiratory physician at the University Hospitals of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, identified a lack of specialist asthma clinics in the UK, and said the shortcomings of existing medicines meant some patients had little hope of their condition being treated successfully.
He told Pharmafile: “Uncovering Asthma is the first cross-Europe study of its kind, and it is clear that severe asthma has a profound impact on people’s everyday lives, as the survey shows. It is also worrying that a sizeable proportion of severe asthma sufferers are not responding to currently prescribed medicines.”
But newer treatments are giving such patients cause for hope. Dr Niven demonstrated at the event the bronchial thermoplasty procedure. The pioneering non-drug procedure is a minimally invasive treatment, delivered in three sessions, that involves burning away excess smooth muscle in the airways to improve airflow. It has been demonstrated to deliver a benefit for a least five years.
Asked if this would become a standard of treatment for severe asthma sufferers, Dr Niven told Pharmafocus: “Severe asthma affects patients in suffering ways, and is not just one condition, and there are so many different forms. But BT is important in that it takes a a proportion of patients and gives them a treatment option that could change their lives. “
One such patient is 24 year old Rhea Yarworth from the UK, who underwent a successful BT procedure two years ago.
She told Pharmafile:” Although the second treatment was quite painful, as I was conscious (for the third I was given general anaesthetic) and it took around eight months to feel the full benefit, I am so glad I decided to continue, and would absolutely recommend it to others.
“It has given me much greater freedom and allowed me to be much more active and more confident. One of the first things I noticed was being able to climb the stairs without getting breathless, and if I have a cold, it is a much faster recovery than before.”
Joel Levy
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