Asthma and COPD according to the pulmonologist.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate how pulmonologists view the impact that asthma and COPD has on their patients, as well as how they treat these diseases. METHODS Survey including 227 pulmonologists participating in the VI Brazilian Asthma Conference, II Brazilian COPD Conference and II Brazilian Smoking Conference, all of which were held in 2007. RESULTS According to the answers given by the pulmonologists, COPD is a public health problem of equal or greater importance than asthma, and COPD causes various disruptions in the lives of patients and their family members. When prescribing an inhalation device, pulmonologists feel that simplicity of use is more important than is the cost. There was a slight preference for the Aeroliser and Diskus systems. The budesonide-formoterol combination was the therapeutic regimen most often cited for the continued treatment of the symptomatic asthma, whereas tiotropium bromide was the most often cited medication for the treatment of patients with COPD. Selection of the therapeutic regimen for asthma and COPD is primarily influenced by the results of therapeutic trials published in the literature. CONCLUSIONS The opinions of pulmonologists on the topics under study are in concordance with data in the specialized literature.