Objective: The aim of the study was to determine whether asthma management in Thailand is succeeding in achieving the levels of control, specified in national and international asthma guidelines.
Methodology: Adults with asthma in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Songkhla, and Khon Kaen were interviewed, and we have reported on their asthma severity, morbidity, control, perception of asthma, and healthcare use.
Results: A total of 466 asthma sufferers were interviewed. The burden of asthma was high, with 14.8% of respondents being hospitalized for their asthma in the past year. One-quarter of those surveyed had lost workdays as a result of their asthma, and most patients felt that their lifestyle was limited. The majority of respondents had intermittent asthma (62.9%), 10.5% had mild persistent asthma, 17.6% had moderate persistent asthma, and 9.0% had severe persistent asthma; increasing severity was significantly associated with increased emergency healthcare use (P < 0.00001). Asthma sufferers greatly underestimated the severity of their condition. Only 36.0% used reliever medication, and use of inhaled corticosteroids was low at 6.7%. Understanding of the inflammatory basis of asthma was poor. Few patients underwent lung function tests or took peak flow meter readings.
Conclusions: The burden of asthma is high in Thailand, and guidelines are not being followed. Encouraging greater use of inhaled corticosteroids will be an important step towards improving asthma control.