Asthma control through the Asthma Control Test™ in pneumology patients

Abstract

Background: asthma is a chronic disease that affects people of all ages. It occurs due to inflammation and contraction of the muscles surrounding the respiratory tract. Proper treatment monitoring is essential to reduce symptoms and prevent complications.

Objective: to evaluate the control of asthma in a group of patients using the ACTTM validated asthma control test, analyzing demographic data, level of disease control and patient perception of the treatment prescribed by the medical team.

Methods: a cross-sectional, qualitative and descriptive study was carried out. A search was conducted for the selection of the participants using the information databases of the hospital.

Results: asthma is more prevalent in women (66.7 %) than men (32.3 %), and mainly affects older adults (83.9 %) between 65 and 92 years of age. 54.8 % of the patients were housewives. According to the ACTTM questionnaire, 61.3 % had inadequate control of asthma, 29 % had partial control and only 9.7 % achieved adequate control. Regarding the perception of treatment, 74.2 % considered that their medication was adequate, while 25.8 % did not see any significant improvement.

Conclusions: asthma affects mainly women and elderly adults, with a high percentage of patients who do not achieve adequate control of the disease. Although the majority consider that their treatment is adequate, a significant proportion has not experienced improvement, which highlights the need for more effective therapeutic strategies.