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This transcript has been edited for clarity.
I’m Dr. Neil Skolnik, and today I am going to talk about the 2023 update to the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention. We treat a lot of asthma, and there are some important changes, particularly around the use of albuterol. There are two main guidelines when it comes to asthma, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline and the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Guidelines. While I had the privilege of serving on the expert working group for the US guidelines, what I like about the GINA guidelines is that they are updated annually, and so they really help us keep up with rapid changes in the field.
Today, I’m going to focus on assessment and treatment.
Four Questions to Assess Asthma Control
Because over half of patients with asthma are not well controlled, it is important to assess control at every asthma visit. Asthma control has two domains: symptom control and the risk for future exacerbations. It is not enough to simply ask, “How is your asthma?” because many patients overrate their control and live with ongoing symptoms. There are many assessment tools; the Asthma Control Test (ACT) focuses on symptoms, and the new Asthma Impairment and Risk Questionnaire (AIRQ) assesses both symptoms and risk for exacerbations. The GINA assessment is probably the easiest to implement, with just four questions relevant to the past 4 weeks:
- Have you had daytime symptoms more than twice in one week?
- Have you had any night waking due to asthma?
- Have you needed short-acting beta-agonist (SABA), such as albuterol, rescue more than twice in one week?
- Have you had any activity limitation due to asthma?
Well-controlled asthma is defined as a negative response to all four of these questions, partly controlled asthma is one or two “yes” answers, and uncontrolled asthma is three to four positive responses. You can’t modify a patient’s therapy if you don’t know whether their asthma is well or poorly controlled. You’ll notice that these questions focus on symptom control. It is important also to ask about risk factors for exacerbations, particularly previous exacerbations.
Asthma Treatment Changes
The goals of treatment are control of symptoms and avoidance of exacerbations. The GINA guidelines emphasize that even patients with mild asthma can have severe or fatal exacerbations.
GINA recommends two management tracks. The preferred track uses inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-formoterol as both maintenance and reliever therapy (MART). Track 2, without the use of ICS-formoterol for MART, is also offered, recognizing that the use of ICS-formoterol for MART is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. There is an easy-to-follow stepped-care diagram that is worth looking at; it’s on page 66 of the GINA guideline PDF.
For patients who have symptoms less than twice a month, begin with Step 1 therapy:
- Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol.
- Track 2: treatment with albuterol; also use ICS whenever albuterol is used.
For patients with symptoms more than twice a month (but not most days of the week) treatment can start with Step 2 therapy:
- Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol
- Track 2: daily low-dose ICS plus as-needed SABA
An option for rescue therapy for Track 2 across all steps of therapy is to use an ICS whenever a SABA is used for rescue to reduce the likelihood of exacerbation.
For patients with more severe asthma symptoms most days of the week, or whose asthma is waking them from sleep one or more times weekly, then you can start with Step 3 therapy as follows:
- Track 1: low dose ICS-formoterol as MART
- Track 2: low-dose ICS with long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) for maintenance, plus as needed SABA or as needed ICS-SABA
That’s going to cover most of our patients. As we see people back, if escalation of therapy is needed, then Step 4 therapy is:
- Track 1: medium-dose ICS-formoterol as MART
- Track 2: medium-dose ICS-LABA plus as needed SABA or as-needed ICS-SABA
For patients who remain uncontrolled, it’s important to realize that Step 5 gives you the option to add a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA). In my experience this can be very helpful. We can also consider going to high-dose ICS-LABS for maintenance. At this step, the patient usually has pretty severe, uncontrolled asthma and we can think about checking eosinophil counts, ordering pulmonary function tests, and referring to our specialist colleagues for consideration of biologic therapy.
It is important to see patients back regularly, and to assess asthma control. If a patient is not well controlled or has had exacerbations, consider stepping up therapy, or changing from albuterol alone as rescue to albuterol plus ICS for rescue. If they have been well controlled for a long time, consider de-escalation of therapy among patients on one of the higher therapy steps.
Dr. Skolnik has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: Serve(d) on the advisory board for AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck; and Bayer; serve(d) as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline. Received research grant from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, and Bayer; and received income in an amount equal to or greater than $250 from AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Bayer.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
I’m Dr. Neil Skolnik, and today I am going to talk about the 2023 update to the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention. We treat a lot of asthma, and there are some important changes, particularly around the use of albuterol. There are two main guidelines when it comes to asthma, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline and the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Guidelines. While I had the privilege of serving on the expert working group for the US guidelines, what I like about the GINA guidelines is that they are updated annually, and so they really help us keep up with rapid changes in the field.
Today, I’m going to focus on assessment and treatment.
Four Questions to Assess Asthma Control
Because over half of patients with asthma are not well controlled, it is important to assess control at every asthma visit. Asthma control has two domains: symptom control and the risk for future exacerbations. It is not enough to simply ask, “How is your asthma?” because many patients overrate their control and live with ongoing symptoms. There are many assessment tools; the Asthma Control Test (ACT) focuses on symptoms, and the new Asthma Impairment and Risk Questionnaire (AIRQ) assesses both symptoms and risk for exacerbations. The GINA assessment is probably the easiest to implement, with just four questions relevant to the past 4 weeks:
- Have you had daytime symptoms more than twice in one week?
- Have you had any night waking due to asthma?
- Have you needed short-acting beta-agonist (SABA), such as albuterol, rescue more than twice in one week?
- Have you had any activity limitation due to asthma?
Well-controlled asthma is defined as a negative response to all four of these questions, partly controlled asthma is one or two “yes” answers, and uncontrolled asthma is three to four positive responses. You can’t modify a patient’s therapy if you don’t know whether their asthma is well or poorly controlled. You’ll notice that these questions focus on symptom control. It is important also to ask about risk factors for exacerbations, particularly previous exacerbations.
Asthma Treatment Changes
The goals of treatment are control of symptoms and avoidance of exacerbations. The GINA guidelines emphasize that even patients with mild asthma can have severe or fatal exacerbations.
GINA recommends two management tracks. The preferred track uses inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-formoterol as both maintenance and reliever therapy (MART). Track 2, without the use of ICS-formoterol for MART, is also offered, recognizing that the use of ICS-formoterol for MART is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. There is an easy-to-follow stepped-care diagram that is worth looking at; it’s on page 66 of the GINA guideline PDF.
For patients who have symptoms less than twice a month, begin with Step 1 therapy:
- Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol.
- Track 2: treatment with albuterol; also use ICS whenever albuterol is used.
For patients with symptoms more than twice a month (but not most days of the week) treatment can start with Step 2 therapy:
- Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol
- Track 2: daily low-dose ICS plus as-needed SABA
An option for rescue therapy for Track 2 across all steps of therapy is to use an ICS whenever a SABA is used for rescue to reduce the likelihood of exacerbation.
For patients with more severe asthma symptoms most days of the week, or whose asthma is waking them from sleep one or more times weekly, then you can start with Step 3 therapy as follows:
- Track 1: low dose ICS-formoterol as MART
- Track 2: low-dose ICS with long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) for maintenance, plus as needed SABA or as needed ICS-SABA
That’s going to cover most of our patients. As we see people back, if escalation of therapy is needed, then Step 4 therapy is:
- Track 1: medium-dose ICS-formoterol as MART
- Track 2: medium-dose ICS-LABA plus as needed SABA or as-needed ICS-SABA
For patients who remain uncontrolled, it’s important to realize that Step 5 gives you the option to add a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA). In my experience this can be very helpful. We can also consider going to high-dose ICS-LABS for maintenance. At this step, the patient usually has pretty severe, uncontrolled asthma and we can think about checking eosinophil counts, ordering pulmonary function tests, and referring to our specialist colleagues for consideration of biologic therapy.
It is important to see patients back regularly, and to assess asthma control. If a patient is not well controlled or has had exacerbations, consider stepping up therapy, or changing from albuterol alone as rescue to albuterol plus ICS for rescue. If they have been well controlled for a long time, consider de-escalation of therapy among patients on one of the higher therapy steps.
Dr. Skolnik has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: Serve(d) on the advisory board for AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck; and Bayer; serve(d) as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline. Received research grant from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, and Bayer; and received income in an amount equal to or greater than $250 from AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Bayer.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
This transcript has been edited for clarity.
I’m Dr. Neil Skolnik, and today I am going to talk about the 2023 update to the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention. We treat a lot of asthma, and there are some important changes, particularly around the use of albuterol. There are two main guidelines when it comes to asthma, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline and the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Guidelines. While I had the privilege of serving on the expert working group for the US guidelines, what I like about the GINA guidelines is that they are updated annually, and so they really help us keep up with rapid changes in the field.
Today, I’m going to focus on assessment and treatment.
Four Questions to Assess Asthma Control
Because over half of patients with asthma are not well controlled, it is important to assess control at every asthma visit. Asthma control has two domains: symptom control and the risk for future exacerbations. It is not enough to simply ask, “How is your asthma?” because many patients overrate their control and live with ongoing symptoms. There are many assessment tools; the Asthma Control Test (ACT) focuses on symptoms, and the new Asthma Impairment and Risk Questionnaire (AIRQ) assesses both symptoms and risk for exacerbations. The GINA assessment is probably the easiest to implement, with just four questions relevant to the past 4 weeks:
- Have you had daytime symptoms more than twice in one week?
- Have you had any night waking due to asthma?
- Have you needed short-acting beta-agonist (SABA), such as albuterol, rescue more than twice in one week?
- Have you had any activity limitation due to asthma?
Well-controlled asthma is defined as a negative response to all four of these questions, partly controlled asthma is one or two “yes” answers, and uncontrolled asthma is three to four positive responses. You can’t modify a patient’s therapy if you don’t know whether their asthma is well or poorly controlled. You’ll notice that these questions focus on symptom control. It is important also to ask about risk factors for exacerbations, particularly previous exacerbations.
Asthma Treatment Changes
The goals of treatment are control of symptoms and avoidance of exacerbations. The GINA guidelines emphasize that even patients with mild asthma can have severe or fatal exacerbations.
GINA recommends two management tracks. The preferred track uses inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-formoterol as both maintenance and reliever therapy (MART). Track 2, without the use of ICS-formoterol for MART, is also offered, recognizing that the use of ICS-formoterol for MART is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. There is an easy-to-follow stepped-care diagram that is worth looking at; it’s on page 66 of the GINA guideline PDF.
For patients who have symptoms less than twice a month, begin with Step 1 therapy:
- Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol.
- Track 2: treatment with albuterol; also use ICS whenever albuterol is used.
For patients with symptoms more than twice a month (but not most days of the week) treatment can start with Step 2 therapy:
- Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol
- Track 2: daily low-dose ICS plus as-needed SABA
An option for rescue therapy for Track 2 across all steps of therapy is to use an ICS whenever a SABA is used for rescue to reduce the likelihood of exacerbation.
For patients with more severe asthma symptoms most days of the week, or whose asthma is waking them from sleep one or more times weekly, then you can start with Step 3 therapy as follows:
- Track 1: low dose ICS-formoterol as MART
- Track 2: low-dose ICS with long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) for maintenance, plus as needed SABA or as needed ICS-SABA
That’s going to cover most of our patients. As we see people back, if escalation of therapy is needed, then Step 4 therapy is:
- Track 1: medium-dose ICS-formoterol as MART
- Track 2: medium-dose ICS-LABA plus as needed SABA or as-needed ICS-SABA
For patients who remain uncontrolled, it’s important to realize that Step 5 gives you the option to add a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA). In my experience this can be very helpful. We can also consider going to high-dose ICS-LABS for maintenance. At this step, the patient usually has pretty severe, uncontrolled asthma and we can think about checking eosinophil counts, ordering pulmonary function tests, and referring to our specialist colleagues for consideration of biologic therapy.
It is important to see patients back regularly, and to assess asthma control. If a patient is not well controlled or has had exacerbations, consider stepping up therapy, or changing from albuterol alone as rescue to albuterol plus ICS for rescue. If they have been well controlled for a long time, consider de-escalation of therapy among patients on one of the higher therapy steps.
Dr. Skolnik has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: Serve(d) on the advisory board for AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck; and Bayer; serve(d) as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline. Received research grant from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, and Bayer; and received income in an amount equal to or greater than $250 from AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Bayer.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
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All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, copied, or otherwise reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of Frontline Medical Communications Inc.</copyrightNotice> </rightsInfo> </provider> <abstract/> <metaDescription>This transcript has been edited for clarity.</metaDescription> <articlePDF/> <teaserImage/> <title>What’s Changed in Asthma Treatment? 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Quite a Bit</title> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> <p>This transcript has been edited for clarity.</p> <p>I’m Dr. Neil Skolnik, and today I am going to talk about the 2023 update to the <a href="https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GINA-2023-Full-report-23_07_06-WMS.pdf">Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention</a>. We treat a lot of <a href="https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/296301-overview">asthma</a>, and there are some important changes, particularly around the use of <a href="https://reference.medscape.com/drug/proventil-hfa-ventolin-hfa-albuterol-343426">albuterol</a>. There are two main guidelines when it comes to asthma, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guideline and the <a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/asthma-management-guidelines-2020-updates">US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Guidelines. </a>While I had the privilege of serving on the expert working group for the US guidelines, what I like about the GINA guidelines is that they are updated annually, and so they really help us keep up with rapid changes in the field.<br/><br/>Today, I’m going to focus on assessment and treatment.<br/><br/></p> <h2>Four Questions to Assess Asthma Control</h2> <p>Because over half of patients with asthma are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthma_stats/uncontrolled-asthma-adults-2019.htm">not well controlled</a>, it is important to assess control at every asthma visit. Asthma control has two domains: symptom control and the risk for future exacerbations. It is not enough to simply ask, “How is your asthma?” because many patients overrate their control and live with ongoing symptoms. There are many assessment tools; the <a href="https://www.asthmacontroltest.com/welcome/">Asthma Control Test (ACT)</a> focuses on symptoms, and the new <a href="https://www.asthmaresourcecenter.com/">Asthma Impairment and Risk Questionnaire (AIRQ)</a> assesses both symptoms and risk for exacerbations. The GINA assessment is probably the easiest to implement, with just four questions relevant to the past 4 weeks:</p> <ul class="body"> <li>Have you had daytime symptoms more than twice in one week?</li> <li>Have you had any night waking due to asthma?</li> <li>Have you needed short-acting beta-agonist (SABA), such as albuterol, rescue more than twice in one week?</li> <li>Have you had any activity limitation due to asthma?</li> </ul> <p>Well-controlled asthma is defined as a negative response to all four of these questions, partly controlled asthma is one or two “yes” answers, and uncontrolled asthma is three to four positive responses. You can’t modify a patient’s therapy if you don’t know whether their asthma is well or poorly controlled. You’ll notice that these questions focus on symptom control. It is important also to ask about risk factors for exacerbations, particularly previous exacerbations.<br/><br/></p> <h2>Asthma Treatment Changes</h2> <p>The goals of treatment are control of symptoms and avoidance of exacerbations. The GINA guidelines emphasize that even patients with mild asthma can have severe or fatal exacerbations.</p> <p>GINA recommends two management tracks. The preferred track uses <a href="https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2172359-overview">inhaled corticosteroid</a> (ICS)-formoterol as both maintenance and reliever therapy (MART). Track 2, without the use of ICS-formoterol for MART, is also offered, recognizing that the use of ICS-formoterol for MART is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. There is an easy-to-follow stepped-care diagram that is worth looking at; it’s on <a href="https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/GINA-2023-Full-report-23_07_06-WMS.pdf">page 66 of the GINA guideline PDF.</a><br/><br/>For patients who have symptoms less than twice a month, begin with Step 1 therapy:</p> <ul class="body"> <li>Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol.</li> <li>Track 2: treatment with albuterol; also use ICS whenever albuterol is used.</li> </ul> <p>For patients with symptoms more than twice a month (but not most days of the week) treatment can start with Step 2 therapy:</p> <ul class="body"> <li>Track 1: as-needed low-dose ICS-formoterol</li> <li>Track 2: daily low-dose ICS plus as-needed SABA</li> </ul> <p>An option for rescue therapy for Track 2 across all steps of therapy is to use an ICS whenever a SABA is used for rescue to reduce the likelihood of exacerbation.<br/><br/>For patients with more severe asthma symptoms most days of the week, or whose asthma is waking them from sleep one or more times weekly, then you can start with Step 3 therapy as follows:</p> <ul class="body"> <li>Track 1: low dose ICS-formoterol as MART</li> <li>Track 2: low-dose ICS with long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) for maintenance, plus as needed SABA or as needed ICS-SABA</li> </ul> <p>That’s going to cover most of our patients. As we see people back, if escalation of therapy is needed, then Step 4 therapy is:</p> <ul class="body"> <li>Track 1: medium-dose ICS-formoterol as MART</li> <li>Track 2: medium-dose ICS-LABA plus as needed SABA or as-needed ICS-SABA</li> </ul> <p>For patients who remain uncontrolled, it’s important to realize that Step 5 gives you the option to add a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA). In my experience this can be very helpful. We can also consider going to high-dose ICS-LABS for maintenance. At this step, the patient usually has pretty severe, uncontrolled asthma and we can think about checking eosinophil counts, ordering pulmonary function tests, and referring to our specialist colleagues for consideration of biologic therapy.<br/><br/>It is important to see patients back regularly, and to assess asthma control. If a patient is not well controlled or has had exacerbations, consider stepping up therapy, or changing from albuterol alone as rescue to albuterol plus ICS for rescue. If they have been well controlled for a long time, consider de-escalation of therapy among patients on one of the higher therapy steps.<br/><br/>Dr. Skolnik has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: Serve(d) on the advisory board for AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck; and Bayer; serve(d) as a speaker or a member of a speakers bureau for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline. Received research grant from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, and Bayer; and received income in an amount equal to or greater than $250 from AstraZeneca, Teva, Eli Lilly and Company, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Bayer.<span class="end"/> </p> <p> <em>A version of this article appeared on <span class="Hyperlink"><a href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/999963">Medscape.com</a></span>.</em> </p> </itemContent> </newsItem> <newsItem> <itemMeta> <itemRole>teaser</itemRole> <itemClass>text</itemClass> <title/> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> <p>You can’t modify a patient’s therapy if you don’t know whether their asthma is well or poorly controlled.</p> </itemContent> </newsItem> </itemSet></root>