Recent advances in the treatment and management of asthma

affects 300 million people worldwide and 5.4 million people in the UK of whom 80 per cent are adults.1 Despite advances in the diagnosis and management of asthma,2 surveys indicate that many patients have poorly controlled symptoms and experience frequent exacerbations.3,4 Three quarters of hospital admissions and nine out of 10 deaths from asthma are likely to be preventable.1,5 The financial impact of asthma is considerable, in large part due to the cost of asthma medications, hospital admissions and time lost from work. NHS costs for asthma are estimated to be around £1 billion per year. A systematic approach to the evaluation of patients suspected or known to have asthma is helpful and should include assessment of the diagnosis, identification of the cause(s) of persistent symptoms and development of a patient-specific management plan.