LUND--3 Jul--PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest Large Study Demonstrates That Patients May Miss the Opportunity for Avoiding Asthma Attacks New data on the attitudes and behaviours of asthma patients just published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine highlight the need for a new strategy in asthma management. The International Asthma Patient Insight Research (INSPIRE) study is the first large scale (n=3,415 patients) study in asthma patients on regular maintenance therapy. The study offers valuable insight in asthma patients' attitudes to asthma management, the impact of the condition on their daily lives, and how they respond to sudden worsenings of their symptoms. Perhaps the most interesting insight for healthcare professionals who treat asthma patients is that there is a window of missed opportunity in current asthma management. The INSPIRE study shows that patients recognise the most common signs of an approaching worsening of their symptoms such as 'shortness of breath/getting breathless', as a 'warning period' but fail to prevent the attack itself. From first noticing deterioration to the peak of a worsening, patients in the INSPIRE study reported a mean onset of 5.1 days but rather than adjusting the usage of preventative therapy, patients increase their reliever therapy thereby treating the symptoms rather than preventing the inflammation causing the worsening in the first place. "The INSPIRE study provides the first clear evidence that 'warning periods' prior to an asthma attack are experienced by most people with asthma, marking a real breakthrough in our understanding of the disease. Warning signs are well understood in other disease areas such as diabetes, acting as markers to prevent adverse events. By understanding that asthma patients can identify thesigns of a forthcoming attack we can ensure that patients grasp the window of opportunities and adjust their medication appropriately already at the initial signs of a worsening," said Professor Martyn R. Partridge, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London and member of the INSPIRE Steering Committee. The majority of patients (71%) agree that they are much more likely to try and manage their asthma themselves rather than visit their physician when their symptoms become bothersome. However, the study highlights that many people with asthma are poorly controlled. Despite being on regular medication, only 28% of patients were well controlled, and most patients (84%) experienced periods of worsenings within the last year (mean 11/year). On average 27% of the worsenings that they had experienced in the last year were severe. "The findings from INSPIRE provides us with a strong rationale and an opportunity to improve the way patients are managing their asthma. The fears, concerns, attitudes and desire for participation in their own disease management were remarkably consistent around the world. And that knowledge should be used to form a future platform for patient education in self-management. The study shows that the vast majority of patients want treatments that provide immediate relief, and want to be able to adjust their asthma therapy to the changes of their asthma. The effectiveness of any treatment is based upon a combination of the treatment's efficacy and the patient's compliance or adherence to their doctor's guidance. A potential advance in future treatment strategy could be to take the current effective treatments that many patients today use sub-optimally and ensure patients are guided to increase their preventative treatment earlier," concluded Martyn R. Partridge. INSPIRE was conducted in eight European countries including: UK, Belgium, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France and Spain and is based on interviews with more than 2,400 asthma patients suffering from moderate to severe asthma. Similar interviews have subsequently been conducted in Canada, the US and Australia, bringing the total number of patients in the INSPIRE study to over 3,400 patients. References: 1) BMC Pulmonary Medicine: http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpulmmed/ M Partridge: BMC Pulmonary Medicine 2006;6:13 2) INSPIRE abstract citations (ERS 2005, European data only) M Partridge, ERS 2005: European Respiratory Journal 2005;26(49):Abs1710 T van der Molen, ERS 2005: European Respiratory Journal 2005;26(49):Abs166 The INSPIRE study was funded by AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca are the manufacturers of Symbicort(R), a combination of the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide and rapid- and long-acting beta-agonist formoterol, which is indicated for the treatment of asthma and COPD. AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $23.95 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. SOURCE: AstraZeneca CONTACT: For further information about the INSPIRE study, or to request an interview with a member of the INSPIRE Steering Committee, please do not hesitate to contact: Cecilia Svensson, Global PR Manager, AstraZeneca, Tel: +46-46-33-77-72; Mette Thorn Sorensen, Senior Consultant, Cohn & Wolfe, Tel: +45-41-38-43-00 --Distributed by AsiaNet ( www.asianetnews.net )--