This year’s theme “You can control your asthma” sends a clear message: with proper management, patients can control their own asthma. The Union strongly supports this message.
Dr Chiang Chen-Yuan, Director of the Lung Health Department of The Union, stated “Asthma is one of the most common inflammatory lung diseases in the world. However, it can be successfully treated and controlled through effective management – by identifying a patient’s risk factors, assessing the appropriate treatment and monitoring the evolution of the disease.”
Dr Nils E. Billo, Executive Director of The Union, declared “Prof. Nadia Aït-Khaled, Head of The Union’s Asthma Division, has coordinated studies in numerous low- and middle-income countries, implementing the standardised management recommendations explained in our Asthma Guide. After one year of standardised management, the severity of asthma decreased dramatically for the majority of patients and the number of emergency room visits and hospitalisations decreased by more than 70%. Thus, the implementation of such standardised management can significantly improve a patient’s asthma, and reduce health costs for patients, their families, communities and governments.”
The Union assists countries in their efforts to improve asthma care. It provides technical assistance and a practical guide with tools and training materials for the management of asthma. It conducts operational research with its network of international experts in low- and middle-income settings. The Union also advocates for more equitable access to quality asthma drugs and care. To this end, it is developing the Asthma Drug Facility, a mechanism that provides access to affordable good quality essential drugs.
For further information, please visit our web site at: www.iuatld.org
