NICE Releases new “Life-Changing” Asthma Treatment Standards

Last month, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), published new standards on the diagnosis and treatment of asthma in England, which Asthma UK say ‘could change millions of lives.’ Over 5.4 million people in the UK, including 1.1 million children, receive treatment for asthma. The respiratory condition poses a major threat to your wellbeing, as asthma caused 1,131 deaths in 2009.

According to the new guidelines, a structured asthma review will be undertaken at least annually and people whose wellness has been affected by the condition will receive a written personalised action plan. Further, adults who develop asthma will be assessed for work or occupational causes, where removing the cause may help reduce symptoms, and those over the age of five, who see a healthcare professional with a severe or life-threatening acute exacerbation of their asthma, will receive oral or intravenous steroids within an hour of presentation. An assessment by a specialist multidisciplinary service will be offered to people with difficult to treat asthma, and everyone with the condition will be given specific training and assessed on inhaler technique before starting a new inhaler treatment.

NICE deputy chief executive Gillian Leng said in a statement, ‘Asthma is a common lung disorder in the UK and can have a significant, negative effect on a person’s quality of life. NICE is pleased to be publishing this new quality standard on asthma, which contains eleven statements that will contribute to improving the quality and experience of care for those with the condition.’

Professor Sue Hill and Dr Robert Winter, joint national clinical directors for Respiratory Disease, added, ‘Asthma is an area where we can, and should, be doing so much more. This new NICE quality standard is a great step forward as it reinforces those areas where best practice and guidelines should be applied. If we address the areas of care highlighted in this quality standard, then we should see significant improvements in outcomes for people living with asthma and their overall quality of life.’

Emily Humphreys, head of policy and public affairs at Asthma UK, noted that the organisation is particularly pleased to see the inclusion of personal asthma action plans. ‘They’re a fundamental component of self-management,’ she said. ‘Most of the time you are looking after yourself. You’re adjusting your medicines. You’re monitoring your symptoms. You’re making judgments all the time about whether you need to seek medical help, whether you need to be taking more of your asthma reliever inhaler. Without a personal asthma action plan, you are four times more likely to have an asthma attack that requires you to be admitted to hospital. They really do make a huge difference.’

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NICE Releases new “Life-Changing” Asthma Treatment Standards

Categories: Asthma Treatment, New Regulations, Personal Care Plan

Is Combination Inhaler Better at Preventing Asthma Attacks?

Using innovative local technology, a groundbreaking New Zealand asthma study has demonstrated that the two inhalers doctors usually prescribe for asthma wellness are old news – combination inhalers are more effective at preventing asthma attacks. The results were published in the prestigious Lancet medical journal, which said the compelling new evidence could change international asthma treatment practices and guidelines, and improve the wellbeing of asthma sufferers worldwide.

According to current medical guidelines, it is usually recommended that adult patients are prescribed two inhalers; one for regular, preventative use, and a reliever which is used to treat asthma symptoms. However, the study from the Medical Research Institute found a single inhaler that combines long-acting beta agonists from preventers with corticosteroids from relievers, was more effective at reducing severe asthma attacks.

So what is this new inhaler? The Nexus6 is a commercially available asthma inhaler which electronically monitors usage with an in-built microprocessor that records data every time a you take a puff. Via the internet or a mobile phone, the data is wirelessly transmitted and so you, your doctor and researchers can monitor the frequency of doses in real-time. Developed by Auckland medical technology company Nexus6, the researchers compared the combination smart inhaler to conventional inhalers among roughly 300 adult asthma patients in New Zealand.

The researchers were able to track patterns of use and delays in seeking treatment, thanks to the combination inhaler’s chip, and so they found smart inhalers reduced the risk of severe asthma attacks without increasing the risk of beta agonist overuse or long-term corticosteroid exposure. There was a 40% lower rate of high use, marked overuse and extreme overuse of beta agonists among combination inhaler users than the group given the standard treatment.

According to Medical Research Institute director Professor Richard Beasley, a respiratory medicine expert at Otago University in Wellington, ‘We’ve been able to look at the efficacy and safety in so much more detail because we did the electronic monitoring. We’ve got an insight and a knowledge of the regime greater than anyone else has been able to achieve before. And as the Lancet editorial says, this will change practice and guidelines.’

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Is Combination Inhaler Better at Preventing Asthma Attacks?

Categories: Asthma Treatment, Combination Inhaler, Research