Global Variations In Asthma Treatment

A new study shows wide variations in the treatment of asthma worldwide, despite relatively uncomplicated treatment guidelines. The study, part of Datamonitor's Disease Monitor: Treatment Algorithms report series, available through the Marketletter, says treatment is most standarized in the UK, although even here the guidelines are often ignored by general practitioners. Patient involvement is also furthest advanced. Anti-inflammatory drugs, usually corticosteroids, are widely prescribed.

In the USA, the cost of asthma care has reached almost $10 billion. There is wider variation in standards of care than in the UK, both regionally and between centers and physicians. The use of steroidal anti-inflammatories is growing.

In France, awareness of treatment guidelines is highest among specialists, although there are no national guidelines and most use World Health Organization/US National Institutes of Health directives. There has been no nationwide distribution of guidelines to primary physicians, and many report not having seen them at all.