Diagnosis and Management of Severe Asthma in Switzerland: Analysis of Survey Results Conducted with Specialists and General Practitioners.

BACKGROUND

Severe asthma commonly affects 5-10% of the asthmatic population and accounts for approximately 50% of the overall asthma costs.

OBJECTIVE

This analysis investigated how severe asthma is diagnosed, treated, and managed by specialists and general practitioners (GPs) in Switzerland.

METHODS

Two surveys, one each among specialists (N = 44) and GPs (N = 153), were conducted to understand their self-perception on diagnosis, treatment, and management of severe asthma.

RESULTS

Fifty-five percent of the specialists felt very confident and 43% confident in recognizing the symptoms of severe asthma and diagnosing severe asthma. In contrast, 9% of the GPs were very confident and 59% confident in diagnosing severe asthma. More specific diagnostic tests for severe asthma, like total and specific immunoglobulin E levels and measurement of the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide, were run by specialists (χ2 = 171.4; df = 15, p < 0.001). GPs and specialists were using different measurements to assess severe asthma (χ2 = 385.2; df = 13, p < 0.001) and their prescribing patterns differed significantly (χ2 = 189.8; df = 10, p < 0.001). GPs referred patients with severe asthma if the diagnosis was unclear (24%), if treatment failure occurred (26%), and if the patients were at high risk (41%).

CONCLUSIONS

Oral corticosteroids (OCSs) are considered as background therapy for severe asthma by GPs and specialists. In order to reduce the OCS burden, there is a need to improve the awareness for other add-on therapies. A joint collaboration between GPs and specialists is the key to leverage therapeutic strategies together.