Julie Nguyen, PharmD Candidate

According to the CDC, 1 out of 13 people have asthma and more than 11.2 million people report having experienced 1 or more asthma attacks or episodes in 2018.

 Asthma is a condition that causes the airways to narrow and swell, making it hard to breathe. This can affect a person’s quality of life by limiting them to do their daily activities. Medications can play an important role in asthma management. Therefore, adherence to medications is important to optimize treatment and improve quality of life.

Regarding asthma treatment, an estimated 30% to 70% of adults and up to 50% of children have poor adherence.

This poor adherence can lead to uncontrolled asthma and a reduced quality of life. In the past, asthma treatment generally consisted of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) controller with a short acting beta agonist (SABA) as rescue therapy. However, new updates from the 2020 Global Initiatives for Asthma (GINA) Guidelines show that the overuse of a SABA (dispensing >3 canisters/year) may lead to exacerbating lung conditions.

Pharmacists can play an important role in a patient’s asthma management by examining the patient’s refill history, adherence, and proper inhaler techniques. A systematic review and meta-analysis in 2018 showed that pharmacist-led interventions can significantly improve medication adherence.

Short-Acting Muscarinic Antagonist (SAMA) 

Articles

Medications can play an important role in asthma management. Therefore, adherence to medications is important to optimize treatment and improve quality of life.