Asthma Therapy - So stay tuned

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MunichThinking about the asthma spray every day - it's not that easy. The daily stroke is easily forgotten, especially when asthma sufferers are doing well. In the long term, the lack of adherence to therapy will take its toll. Therefore, patients develop different strategies for thinking about their medication. Researchers have now investigated which of these work best.

Taylor Brooks and colleagues at the University of New York asked 328 asthma patients about their personal strategy. Almost half, namely 44 percent, deposited their asthma spray at a regular place, 33 percent integrated the intake - either in the morning or in the evening - into their daily routine. Others again took the cortisone spray at the same time, set the alarm clock, hung up reminders or asked their partner to remind them.

Asthma spray next to the toothbrush

It turned out that only two of the strategies were really effective: Participants who deposited their spray in the bathroom thought of ingesting it particularly regularly. This strategy has the additional advantage that the patient is close to the tap so that they can rinse their mouth out afterwards. This is important because cortisone weakens the immune reactions - and can thus promote unwanted infections in the oral cavity.

It also seems like a good idea to incorporate medication into your daily routine - especially in the morning.

These strategies can of course also be combined sensibly - for example, by placing the spray next to the toothbrush and administering it to yourself before brushing your teeth.

The participants in the study were at least 60 years old. Taking asthma medication regularly is just as difficult for younger patients. They too can therefore benefit from the study results.

Adherence to therapy pays off

Asthma is a chronic disease that usually develops in adolescence. For many, however, the symptoms grow so that as adults they are symptom-free. Overall, around five percent of adults and up to ten percent of children in Germany suffer from asthma.
The course of the disease can be positively influenced by taking preventive medication on a regular basis. Doctors then speak of good compliance or adherence to therapy. (cf)

Source: Brooks TL et al: Strategies used by older adults with asthma for adherence to inhaled corticosteroids, J Gen Intern Med. 2014 Nov; 29: 1506-12. doi: 10.1007 / s11606-014-2940-8

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