Asthma management in practice.

832 To the Editor: The prevalence of asthma is increasing worldwide and the morbidity and mortality attributed to undiagnosed or inappropriately treated asthma remains unacceptably high. In 2000 the SAMJ published a guideline to help practitioners to diagnose and manage asthma. Even though guidelines such as this are freely available, many patients remain less than optimally medicated. The present study recorded the number of previously diagnosed asthmatic patients presenting at an occupational health clinic and the extent to which their medication complied with the asthma guideline.