![]() ![]() Paradoxically, asthma control remains suboptimal worldwide.(2,3) In 2011, a survey involving several countries in Latin America interviewed 2,169 adult patients with asthma or parents of children with asthma only 9% of the Brazilian respondents had controlled asthma.(3) With regard to the past 12 months, 27% of the Brazilian respondents reported having been hospitalized and an additional 47% reported having received emergency room treatment.(4) More recently, study of data from a previous survey(5) of 12,000 Brazilian adults who agreed to complete the study questionnaire showed that 4.1% of the respondents had a previous diagnosis of asthma. However, the benefits of these advances in knowledge do not extend to all in need. It is indisputable that there have been great advances in knowledge about the pathophysiology of asthma in recent decades, and that, consequently, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of asthma control medications available. Those were the days when emergency rooms and wards were crowded with asthma patients. ![]() Not everyone, like us, lived those days when, in order to treat asthma, we only had theophylline, oral corticosteroids, and short-acting ß2 agonists for use orally or by nebulization. This is a time for reflection, and it seems natural to ask, "What is the asthma scenario like in Brazil today? Is the glass half full or is it half empty?"įor the optimists, among whom we include ourselves, the glass is half full. ![]() This year, "World Asthma Day" will be celebrated on May 7 and will have "STOP for Asthma" as its theme, STOP being an acronym for Symptoms (symptom assessment) Test (asthma control) Observe (and assess) and Proceed (with and adjust treatment). In Brazil, the Brazilian Thoracic Association has long promoted "National Asthma Day" and "World Asthma Day". Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects 339 million individuals worldwide, of whom approximately 20 million are in Brazil.(1) Since 1998, the Global Initiative for Asthma has globally celebrated "World Asthma Day", which has the objective of raising awareness of the disease and how it affects patients' lives. ![]()
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