research paper topics on asthma

Advances and recent developments in asthma in 2020

Affiliations.

• 1 Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland.
• 2 Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE), Davos, Switzerland.
• 3 Department of Medical Immunology, Institute of Health Sciences, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey.
• 4 Faculty of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
• 5 Department of Allergology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
• 6 Swiss Institute for Bioinformatics (SIB), Davos, Switzerland.
• 7 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing TongRen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
• 8 Otorhinolaryngology Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
• 9 Department of Regenerative Medicine and Immune Regulation, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
• 10 Faculty of Medicine, Transylvania University, Brasov, Romania.
• PMID: 32997808
• DOI: 10.1111/all.14607

In this review, we discuss recent publications on asthma and review the studies that have reported on the different aspects of the prevalence, risk factors and prevention, mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of asthma. Many risk and protective factors and molecular mechanisms are involved in the development of asthma. Emerging concepts and challenges in implementing the exposome paradigm and its application in allergic diseases and asthma are reviewed, including genetic and epigenetic factors, microbial dysbiosis, and environmental exposure, particularly to indoor and outdoor substances. The most relevant experimental studies further advancing the understanding of molecular and immune mechanisms with potential new targets for the development of therapeutics are discussed. A reliable diagnosis of asthma, disease endotyping, and monitoring its severity are of great importance in the management of asthma. Correct evaluation and management of asthma comorbidity/multimorbidity, including interaction with asthma phenotypes and its value for the precision medicine approach and validation of predictive biomarkers, are further detailed. Novel approaches and strategies in asthma treatment linked to mechanisms and endotypes of asthma, particularly biologicals, are critically appraised. Finally, due to the recent pandemics and its impact on patient management, we discuss the challenges, relationships, and molecular mechanisms between asthma, allergies, SARS-CoV-2, and COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; asthma biomarkers; asthma phenotypes; biological therapeutics; comorbidities.

© 2020 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

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Asthma Research and Practice

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Improving primary care management of asthma: do we know what really works?

Monica j. fletcher.

1 Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG UK

Ioanna Tsiligianni

2 Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece

Janwillem W. H. Kocks

3 General Practitioners Research Institute, 59713 GH Groningen, The Netherlands

4 University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, GRIAC Research Institute, Groningen, The Netherlands

5 Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore

Andrew Cave

6 Department of Family Medicine, 6-10 University Terrace, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2T4 Canada

Chi Chunhua

7 Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China

Jaime Correia de Sousa

8 Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

9 33ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal

Miguel Román-Rodríguez

10 Primary Care Respiratory Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de las Islas Baleares (IdISBa), Palma, Spain

Mike Thomas

11 Department of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 5ST UK

Peter Kardos

12 Respiratory, Allergy and Sleep Unit at Red Cross Maingau Hospital, Friedberger Anlage 31-32, 60316 Frankfurt, Germany

Carol Stonham

13 NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, Brockworth, UK

Ee Ming Khoo

14 Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

David Leather

15 Global Respiratory Franchise, GlaxoSmithKline plc., GSK House, 980 Great West Rd, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 9GS UK

Thys van der Molen

16 Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Associated Data

Anonymised individual participant data from this study and its associated documents can be requested for further research from www.clinicalstudydatarequest.com .

Asthma imposes a substantial burden on individuals and societies. Patients with asthma need high-quality primary care management; however, evidence suggests the quality of this care can be highly variable. Here we identify and report factors contributing to high-quality management. Twelve primary care global asthma experts, representing nine countries, identified key factors. A literature review (past 10 years) was performed to validate or refute the expert viewpoint. Key driving factors identified were: policy, clinical guidelines, rewards for performance, practice organisation and workforce. Further analysis established the relevant factor components. Review evidence supported the validity of each driver; however, impact on patient outcomes was uncertain. Single interventions (e.g. healthcare practitioner education) showed little effect; interventions driven by national policy (e.g. incentive schemes and teamworking) were more effective. The panel’s opinion, supported by literature review, concluded that multiple primary care interventions offer greater benefit than any single intervention in asthma management.

Introduction

Asthma is a common chronic condition that is estimated to affect 339 million people worldwide 1 , 2 . Despite major advances in asthma treatment and the availability of both global 2 and national guidance, asthma continues to cause a substantial burden in terms of both direct and indirect costs 1 . In 2016, estimated worldwide asthma deaths were 420,000 1 and although there have been falls in some countries over the last decade, significant numbers of avoidable deaths still occur 3 . Mortality rates vary widely, with low- and middle-income countries faring worse 4 . For example, Uganda’s reported mortality rate is almost 50% higher 5 than that reported globally (0.19/100,000) 6 , although inter-country comparisons using different data sources and epidemiological methodologies have limitations. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a global ambition for universal healthcare coverage by 2030 as millions of people worldwide do not have accessible affordable medical care 7 . The WHO moreover recognises that health systems with strong primary care have the utmost potential to deliver improved health outcomes, greater efficiency and high-quality care 7 . Perversely the availability of good quality primary and social care tends to vary inversely, those having the greatest needs being least likely to receive it 8 .

In addition to the issues of access and the quality of care, both under- and over-diagnosis of asthma is common in all healthcare settings, but the issue is of particular concern in primary care, where most initial diagnoses are made 9 , 10 .

For people with asthma, high-quality, local and accessible primary care could be a solution to poor control 11 . Our aim was to identify the factors that experts believe enable the delivery of high-quality asthma care and to review the evidence that confirms that these factors do indeed have positive outcomes in primary care.

Key drivers and their underpinning components

The expert panel identified five key drivers for the delivery of quality respiratory care in primary care and a number of components underpinning each of these drivers. These are summarised in Table ​ Table1 1 .

Key drivers and their underpinning components identified by the expert panel.

Of the 50 articles selected from the review, there were comparatively smaller numbers of publications relating to the impact of National Health Policy and Guidelines. However, there was more substantial evidence relating to the other three key drivers, which is summarised in tabular format (Tables ​ (Tables2 2 – 4 ).

Evidence summary to support reward for performance.

P4p pay for performance, QOF Quality and Outcomes Framework, UK United Kingdom, US United States.

Evidence summary to support workforce issues.

1 = Dedicated and appropriately asthma-trained personnel; 2 = Collaborative working across the wider Primary HealthCare Team, with defined roles; 3 = Excellent interdisciplinary communication processes; 4 = Specialist asthma training programmes in PC; 5 = Dedicated and appropriately asthma-trained personnel.

AAP asthma action plan, ACT Asthma Control Test, A&E Accident and Emergency department, AHP Allied Health Practitioner, ARQOL asthma-related quality of life, AU Australia, BR Brazil, CA Canada, CAT COPD Assessment Test, CATP Colorado Asthma Toolkit Programme, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, DE Germany, DK Denmark, ED Emergency department, ES Spain, GINA Global Initiative for Asthma, GP General Practitioner, HCP healthcare practitioner, mMRC Modified Medical Research Council, PC primary care, PTS patients, RCT randomised clinical trial, SC secondary care, SLS Salford Lung Study, UK United Kingdom, US United States.

National Health Policy

The expert panel reached an agreement that the political will to prioritise asthma and to support both primary care and respiratory disease were fundamental elements for the achievement of a sustainable change. In their opinion this required national and local programmes supporting the improvements. There was however little evidence published to support this opinion with respect to patient outcome as it is not the area of research that is commonly undertaken. A review of seven national European asthma programmes to support strategies to reduce asthma mortality and morbidity concluded that national/regional asthma programmes are more effective than conventional treatment guidelines 12 . One of the most well-known and successful national programmes in Europe, which has resulted in reduced morbidity and mortality and decreased costs, is the Finnish National Asthma Programme 13 . Programmes outside of Europe have also demonstrated the impact that prioritisation of primary care can have on respiratory outcomes. Changing structures and policies in South Africa and in Brazil may start to impact on primary care 13 , 14 .

Few studies have explored the extent of adherence to guidelines for asthma management based on data provided directly by GPs. One study aimed to evaluate adherence to GINA guidelines and its relationship with disease control in real life. According to GINA guideline asthma classification, the results indicated overtreatment of intermittent and mild persistent asthma, as well as a general poor adherence to GINA treatment recommendations, despite its confirmed role in achieving a good asthma control 15 . In the US, nationally representative data showed that agreement with and adherence to asthma guidelines was higher for specialists than for primary care clinicians, but was low in both groups for several key recommendations 16 .

Reward for performance

Pay-for-performance (P4p) schemes are those that remunerate physicians for achieving pre-defined clinical targets and quality measures—so based on value—that contrasts to schemes that are simply a fee-for-service payment, which pay for volume of activity (Data from Review Table ​ Table2). 2 ). In the UK, primary care has moved towards group practices with P4p compensation in which performance is measured using several defined quality indicators 17 , 18 . A systematic review of 94 studies showed increased practice activity but only limited evidence of improvements in the quality of primary care or cost-effectiveness, despite modest reductions in mortality and hospital admissions in some domains 18 . In another review of seven studies from the US and UK, the effects of financial incentive schemes were found to improve patient’s well-being, whilst the effects on the quality of primary healthcare were found to be modest and variable 19 .

An evaluation of three primary care incentive models, namely a traditional fee-for-service model, a blended fee-for-service model and a blended capitation model, demonstrated that the quality of asthma care improved over time within each of the primary care models 20 . The model that combined blended fee-for-service with capitation appears to provide better quality care compared to the traditional fee-for-service model in terms of outcome indicators such as a lower rate of emergency department visits.

A P4p programme in the Netherlands containing indicators for chronic care, prevention, practice management and patient experience was designed by target users 21 . A study of 65 practices that implemented the programme showed a significant improvement in the mean asthma score after 1 year. It showed that a bottom-up developed P4p programme might lead to improvements in both clinical care and patient experience.

Practice resources and organisation

Optimal patient care requires targeted and tailored management (Data from Review Table ​ Table3). 3 ). The experts felt that the organisation of both the GP practice and the local healthcare system had an influence on the provision of high-quality care. Registered patient lists and fully integrated computer systems were its foundation. An approach called SIMPLES—developed in the UK, incorporated into a desktop reference tool by the International Primary Care Respiratory Group and adapted for use in the Netherlands 22 , 23 —identifies patients who have uncontrolled symptoms or difficult-to-manage disease and addresses preventable or treatable factors to guide their management. Electronic alerts in patient records have also been used to identify those at increased risk of an exacerbation, in order to modify care and treatment 24 – 26 .

Evidence summary to support practice resources and organisation.

ACQ Asthma Control Questionnaire, A&E Accident and Emergency department, AU Australia, CCQ Common Cold Questionnaire, CDDSS Computerised Clinical Decision Systems, COPD c hronic pbstructive pulmonary disease, DK Denmark, ES Spain, FeNO Exhaled Nitric Oxide Test, GP General Practitioner, HCP healthcare practitioner, ICS inhaled corticosteroid, NL Netherlands, PC primary care, PTS patients, RCT randomised clinical trial, SC secondary care, UK United Kingdom, US United States.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of computerised clinical decision systems (CCDS) in the care of patients with asthma demonstrated improvements in healthcare process measures and patient outcomes 27 . Conversely another systematic review focussing on their implementation in practice concluded that the limiting factors were the lack of their regular use by healthcare practitioners (HCPs) and adherence to the advice offered 28 . These reviews both concluded that CCDS have the potential to improve patient outcomes, practice efficiency and produce cost-saving benefits if implemented 27 , 28 .

Computerised systems linked with internet programmes to monitor asthma control can also afford benefits for patients. One study identified that the use of both weekly internet-based self-monitoring using the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and treatment adjustment using an online management tool resulted in significant improvements in ACQ 29 .

Clinical prediction models could theoretically aid the diagnosis of asthma in primary care but supportive evidence is currently lacking 30 . However, there is strong evidence that service models aimed at supporting primary care practitioners with the diagnosis or ongoing monitoring of patients result in improved accuracy and patient outcomes 31 – 33 .

The expert panel felt that having access to dedicated and appropriately trained personnel preferably as part of multidisciplinary teams was essential (Data from Review Table ​ Table4). 4 ). This need was accentuated because of increasing GP workloads and a shortage of primary care physicians in many countries.

There was extensive evidence 34 – 40 that a variety of models involving a range of healthcare practitioners within both the core primary healthcare team and extended community teams improve patient outcomes and healthcare process measures—such as an increased use of asthma action plans, improved medication adherence 36 , 39 —and reduces the use of emergency care 34 , 38 .

One approach in Canada is based on using primary care networks, in which additional non-physician healthcare providers are funded to help provide coordinated healthcare 34 . In these networks patients were shown to be less likely to visit the ED than patients in practices that were not part of the network.

Evidence from a range of countries supports the beneficial role of pharmacists, working alone or in teams 36 – 38 . In a study utilising community pharmacists to review patients with either poorly controlled asthma or no recent asthma review, there were benefits in terms of asthma control, inhaler technique, action plan ownership, asthma-related QOL and medication adherence 36 . The pharmacists were able to recruit patients and incorporate this as part of daily practice. Availability of referral to a physician was an important component of the service.

Evidence also indicates that education delivered by a variety of methods enhances the quality of care delivered and improves patient outcomes 41 – 45 . Approaches integrating education with other interventions, such as the Colorado Asthma Toolkit Programme (CATP) that combines education with decision support tools, electronic patient records and other online support materials, have been shown to have positive outcomes 41 , 42 . Another team-based approach that combined an educational intervention with the integration of an electronic clinical quality management system with a reminder system found that the number of action plans increased significantly 39 .

Patient education is an important factor for the improvement of self-management and asthma control. An educational programme from Australia demonstrated that patients who received person-centred education had improved asthma outcomes compared to those receiving a brochure only 46 . One review paper 47 about patient enablement concluded that HCPs need to develop their understanding of this concept to integrate this into practice as the level of this is linked to better patient outcomes.

Primary care is pivotal to any health system; however, there is no universal definition of what we mean by primary care and certainly not one standardised model of care. Without focussing on a single model, we have attempted to bring together expert opinion and the most recent evidence on strategies that improve outcomes in asthma patients in primary care. To our knowledge the methodology used in this project has not been used before. The panel of experts who identified the key drivers were knowledgeable of asthma in primary care at a national level in their respective countries and globally. A literature search to investigate the individual key drivers and their underpinning components was undertaken using a keyword search. This identified many publications but very few measured the effect on patient outcome and those that did reported conflicting results. Furthermore, we found a paucity of research relating to the components relating to national healthcare policy and guidelines.

The evidence suggests that health systems that have primary care as a cornerstone and place asthma as a healthcare priority improve asthma care and improve outcome on patient level. The highly regarded Finnish asthma initiative carried out more than 25 years ago not only identified asthma as a national priority, but also placed primary care at the centre of the programme, recognising the key role of General Practitioners and nurses and greatly reduced asthma mortality and morbidity 48 . After the successful implementation of the Finnish asthma plan, many other countries and regions have attempted to implement similar initiatives 13 , 14 . For example, in Poland and Brazil, asthma burden was reduced utilising such a strategy 49 .

Poor health outcomes in asthma patients have been attributed in primary care to gaps between evidence-based recommendations and practice 50 , 51 . Studies show that adherence to clinical guidelines is poor, whatever the clinical setting, with the main barriers being time pressures and limited resources 52 , reflecting that it is not the guidelines per se that improve care, but it is the implementation of the recommendations.

Most guidelines are complex, lengthy and generally biased towards a secondary care perspective. The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) committee acknowledges the difficulty of implementing their recommendations in primary care, but they are almost exclusively developed by tertiary care physicians 2 . In the Netherlands, the Dutch Royal Society of General Practitioners writes its own guidelines, which are all presented in the same recognisable brief format. Their asthma guidelines were first published in 1986 with revisions every 4 years and are relatively well followed 53 . However, there are now 194 different clinical guidelines in the Netherlands, illustrating just how difficult it is for General Practitioners to adopt all the recommendations of each clinical guideline and its update.

A survival analysis of guidelines has concluded that 86% are still up to date 3 years after their publication and yet the median lifespan of a clinical guideline is about 60 months 54 . New evidence is continually emerging and this implies that regular updates of clinical guidelines are necessary 55 , 56 . It is therefore important that all guidelines have a process for regular scrutiny 57 and are updated for contemporary applicability. Indeed, asthma and COPD guidelines published by the Association of Scientific Medical Societies in Germany and the Asthma Guidelines of the German Respiratory Society are regularly updated, at least every 5 years (more frequently as necessary); if not they are deleted from the website.

The proliferation of guidelines and their asynchronicity can result in conflicting recommendations. For example, in the UK, four asthma guidelines could be followed (the GINA Report, British Thoracic Society and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines (BTS) and the NICE recommendations next to local guidelines) 2 , 58 , 59 , none of which are fully aligned. A review of three contemporaneous international guidelines updated in 2012 (The Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS), BTS and GINA) also revealed significant inconsistency arising from varying approaches to evidence interpretation and recommendation formulation 60 .

Globally, there is a move away from pure fee-for-service payments towards primary care payment schemes linked to performance, which recognise and reward good practice to improve quality and reduce costs 61 . These schemes combine quality standards and targets but still tend to be process driven, not outcome based. The evidence for the effectiveness of such schemes in general on improving quality of care is both inconclusive and inconsistent 62 .

The UK quality and outcomes framework (QOF), which includes asthma, is the world’s largest primary care payment for performance (P4p) scheme 63 . Evidence however shows that improved patient outcomes may not be sustained, cost reduction is unproven 18 and leads to increased GP activity, but this does not necessarily correlate with improved individual patient benefit 64 , 65 . Furthermore, in Portugal, the recording of asthma and COPD prevalence as performance indicators in pay-for-performance contracts showed a modest but steady increase over time in physician’s diagnosis and ICPC-2 coding of these two conditions, but no direct patient benefits 66 .

Disease-specific schemes are usually aligned to clinical guidelines and some focus on prescribing. In Norway, under such a scheme, combination asthma medications were only reimbursed for patients diagnosed with asthma. As a result, asthma diagnosis significantly increased 67 .

The effect on health inequalities has also been studied. The results from UK QOF have shown that the gap between achievements from practices in the most deprived and least deprived areas narrowed 68 . Nevertheless, inequalities in morbidity and premature mortality persisted 69 , 70 . Additionally incentives can increase inequalities because those conditions that are ‘incentivised’ are afforded greater priority and resource allocation, to the detriment of those that are not 71 .

It would appear that simplistic fee-for-service schemes based purely on an activity—such as performing spirometry tests—which are not part of reimbursement of a more comprehensive assessment, have the potential to inadvertently lead to an increase in unnecessary tests. Pay-for-performance schemes have the potential to improve asthma care, but will be reliant on the specifics of the scheme and the quality indicators applied. They can be useful as part of a wider programme to raise quality and afford benefits over rewarding fee-for-service activity.

Appropriate practice organisation and systems focussing on the identification, diagnosis and treatment are pivotal for quality asthma care. There was compelling evidence to indicate that integrated, multi-faceted practice-based approaches for the management of patients improves outcomes and reduces the need for referral to secondary care 22 , 25 , 72 . Coordinated practice systems that combine several interventions such as decision support tools, flagging of electronic records, use of care pathways, staff training and structured approaches to patient education, if consistently implemented, afford the greatest benefits. Implementation of practice schemes is likely to be enhanced where there is dedicated clinical and administrative leadership.

Intuitively an accurate diagnosis should lead to better patient outcomes, although we found conflicting evidence that access to proper diagnosis has an impact on patient outcomes 33 , 73 . Nevertheless, an accurate diagnosis remains the fulcrum on which optimal asthma management depends. Indeed programmes in which an expanded medical team improved the quality of asthma care within the primary care setting (such as a diagnostic and management support organisation) show clear benefit on patient outcome 32 .

Spirometry combined with an assessment of reversibility has been set as gold standard for asthma diagnosis 2 . However, standards on quality of spirometry such as those set by the ERS and ATS are often not achieved 74 – 76 and impose an unnecessarily high and potentially unachievable threshold in primary care 73 . Nevertheless, some studies have demonstrated that primary care office spirometry can meet the acceptability criteria 77 – 79 . Although such standards are laudable particularly in a specialist setting, their practicability in primary care, where patients commonly have mild–moderate, intermittent disease, is debatable. The latest ATS-ERS spirometry guidelines (published in October 2019) may address some of these issues. 80 However, the use of spirometry in the diagnosis of asthma remains beyond reach in primary care around the world.

In many countries primary care physicians have limited or no access to tests of lung function or airway inflammation. The creation of diagnostic hubs in the community may open access to these tests 32 . A structured approach to diagnosis including applicability and feasibility for primary care is currently under development by an ERS taskforce; its outcome not available at the time of writing.

With rising clinical workloads, increasing clinical complexity and in many countries a shortage of trained primary care physicians, multi-professional teamworking is increasingly important. 81 , 82 This is accentuated by the expectation for primary care to manage patients with chronic illness.

In many parts of the world, appropriately asthma-trained personnel, such as primary care nurses, are key to the delivery of high-quality asthma care. Dedicated nursing staff can offer continuity to patients, providing education and routine follow-up 35 . Evidence supports the concept that pharmacists working alone or in teams in collaboration with GPs are an accessible asset for the effective management of asthma and can positively influence asthma outcomes 36 .

Healthcare practitioner education is pivotal and the need for guideline-focused training in primary care is well established 82 . The literature seems to support this viewpoint but in many studies the effect on outcome has not been adequately considered, highlighting a need for more outcome-focussed research. Healthcare systems faced with the challenge of moving the care of people with long-term conditions such as asthma from established specialist services to primary care should consider implementing collaborative educational strategies 44 . Matrix-support collaborative care that includes training and support for primary care physicians/nurses from specialists, including joint consultations, case discussions and tailored education, has been shown to be well-accepted by primary care professionals and was associated with improved knowledge and reduced respiratory secondary care referrals 44 . A scoping exercise and literature review of the effectiveness of educational interventions in either changing health professional practice or in improving health outcomes was commissioned by The International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) 83 . The impact of education interventions on their own was inconclusive, although there was some evidence of effectiveness when they are combined with other quality improvement strategies or incentives 83 .

Asthma continues to be a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and there is need for a coordinated effort to improve care. A well-resourced primary care service is central to the provision of accessible and effective asthma care. An expert team identified the drivers that could enable improvements in both clinical management and patient outcomes, and a literature search showed that each of these individual drivers is supported by varying degrees of evidence. Objectively assessing the outcomes of such interventions is challenging because studies in this area are inherently complex, difficult to undertake and resource intensive, and so definitive research is seldom undertaken. In contrast single interventions studies are easier to conduct but frequently methodologically less robust and therefore tend to be inconclusive. Nevertheless, if substantial improvements in the management of asthma in primary care at a global level are to be achieved, combinations of interventions appear to be most effective. Well-supported holistic interventions involving the entire healthcare system and including the patient voice appear to provide the best outcomes.

Expert panel

An expert panel of 12 primary care global asthma experts—ten General Practitioners and two specialist nurses—was convened in Amsterdam. An initial teleconference between the panel preceded the meeting to gather ideas. The expert panel undertook a brainstorming exercise as part of a force-field analysis in order to reveal their ideas and experience regarding drivers of successful management of asthma in primary care 84 . A force-field analysis can be used to determine the forces (factors) that may prevent change from occurring and to identify those that cultivate change. During the brainstorming session, the experts were divided into facilitated groups to discuss the relative importance of the drivers and identify the factors which underpin each of them. Results were analysed thematically and circulated after the meeting for comment and agreement.

Literature review

To identify whether evidence existed for the drivers and factors identified by the expert panel, literature was searched from PUBMED using the terms asthma and primary care in combination with other terms listed in Table ​ Table5. 5 . Proposed search terms were combined using Boolean operators. The initial search was limited to papers published in English over the last 10 years and studies in adults aged over 18 years old. The experts were also asked for additional papers and in addition, more articles were identified from the references from the selected papers. Papers identified were subsequently screened for eligibility by MF and TM (Fig. ​ (Fig.1). 1 ). A total of 171 were included in the summary table of which 50 papers were identified as having evidence for the factors identified by the panel.

Combinations of keywords used in PubMed search.

Process by which papers identified by literature review were subsequently screened for eligibility and the different stages in this process. This highlights the number of articles that were selected at each stage of the process, as well as the number of articles excluded and the reasons for exclusion. n number of articles.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Expert Panel contributions of Tan Tze Lee (Singapore). Editorial support (in the form of writing assistance, collating author comments, assembling tables/figures, grammatical editing, fact checking, and referencing) was provided by Diana Jones, Ph.D., of Cambrian Clinical Associates Ltd. (UK) and was funded by GlaxoSmithKline plc. The expert panel meeting was funded by GlaxoSmithKline plc.

Author contributions

All authors participated in the expert panel meeting. M.F. and T.v.d.M. were responsible for screening the papers identified in the literature search for suitability for inclusion in the article. All authors developed the manuscript and approved the final version to be submitted.

Data availability

Competing interests.

D.L. is an employee of GlaxoSmithKline plc., and holds stocks in GlaxoSmithKline plc. M.F. and T.v.d.M. are former employees of GlaxoSmithKline plc., and M.F. holds stocks in GlaxoSmithKline plc. I.T. reports advisory boards from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline plc. and Novartis and a grant from GlaxoSmithKline Greece, outside the submitted work. J.K. reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca, grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, grants from Chiesi, grants and personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline plc., grants and personal fees from Novartis, grants from Mundipharma, grants from TEVA, outside the submitted work. A.C. reports a grant from AstraZeneca for an asthma study. C.C. reports grants from Pfizer China, outside of the submitted work. M.T. reports the following conflicts of interest: neither M.T. nor any member of his close family has any shares in pharmaceutical companies; receipt in the last 3 years of speaker’s honoraria for speaking at sponsored meetings or satellite symposia at conferences from GlaxoSmithKline plc. and Novartis, companies marketing respiratory and allergy products; receipt of honoraria for attending advisory panels with Boehringer Inglehiem, GlaxoSmithKline plc. and Novartis; membership of the BTS SIGN Asthma guideline steering group and the NICE Asthma Diagnosis and Monitoring guideline development group. P.K. reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Chiesi, Menarini, Novartis, Klosterfrau, Bionorica, Willmar Schwabe and MSD, and other support (for a phase 3 investigator cough study) from MSD, all outside the submitted work. C.S. has no shares in any pharmaceutical companies, she has received consultant agreements and honoraria for presentations from several pharmaceutical companies that market inhaled medication including AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline plc., Napp Pharmaceuticals and Teva. J.C.d.S. reports personal fees and speaker’s honoraria from Boheringer Ingelheim, personal fees and speaker’s honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline plc., personal fees and speaker’s honoraria from AstraZeneca, personal fees and speaker’s honoraria from Mundipharma outside the submitted work. M.R.R. reports personal fees from AstraZeneca, personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees from Chiesi, grants and personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline plc., personal fees from Menarini, personal fees from Mundipharma, personal fees from Novartis, personal fees from Pfizer, personal fees from Teva, personal fees from Bial, outside the submitted work. E.M.K. received honoraria for attending advisory board meeting from GlaxoSmithKline plc., Boehringer Inglehiem and grant from Novartis outside the submitted work.

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

155 Asthma Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on asthma, ✍️ asthma essay topics for college, 👍 good asthma research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting asthma research titles, 💡 simple asthma essay ideas, 📌 easy asthma essay topics, ❓ research questions about asthma.

• Asthma Patient’s History and Physical Examination
• Asthma Patients’ Health Education and Promotion
• Acute vs. Chronic Asthma and Their Complications
• Exacerbation of Asthma and Nursing Management
• Asthma in the Modern World
• Asthma: Pharmacology and Medicines Management
• Asthma Case Study: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Treatment
• Callista Roy’s Adaptation Model for Asthma Patient Callista Roy’s Adaptation Model explains the nature of the adaptation process and builds the premise for creating a comfortable environment for the patient.
• Pediatric Asthma Readmission: Nursing Study Despite the intentions to improve the quality of life and create the best control and treatment approaches, asthma remains a significant problem in the United States.
• Asthma Management in Children and Education Asthma is a common condition in children. Except for medication, treatment should involve other methods to manage the disease.
• Comprehensive Care Plan For a Patient With Asthma Problem This paper provides a comprehensive care plan for a patient with asthma problem, who was reported to the clinic complaining of a heavy cough, shortness of breath, audible wheezing.
• Asthma in Children: Evidence-Based Practice This paper discusses asthma and its aspects to provide a background for the project on the role of nurses’ education in the reduction of asthma exacerbations in children.
• The Mayo Clinic Asthma Website for Consumer Health This study evaluates the Mayo Clinic asthma website using the DISCERN instrument, as it provides guidelines to consumers to help them judge the quality of information.
• Asthma: Definition, Forms and Symptoms Asthma is a disorder that causes the nasal airways to constrict and swell, as well as generate excess mucus. This results in breathing complications.
• Managing Asthma: Diagnostic of Triggers and Treatment The article provides information about asthma diagnostic aspects, especially triggers, which causes it, and some issues of diagnostic and treatment.
• Nonallergic Asthma: Nursing (SOAP) Care Plan The patient has been experiencing frequent asthma attacks for the past two months; she takes theophylline and albuterol to manage this condition.
• A Child With Asthma: Holistic Care Plan An African American girl aged 8 years, was diagnosed with asthma, which in the recent past has been controlled using a rescue inhaler.
• The Therapeutic Remedies Among Asthma Patients Asthma mainly affects the respiratory organs of an individual based on the inflammation of the airway, increasing the mucus that block the passage of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
• Outdoor Air Pollution and Uncontrolled Asthma in the San Joaquin Valley, California The study’s purpose was to examine the relationship between air pollution and cases of uncontrolled asthma in the San Joaquin Valley.
• Asthma in African American Children The socioeconomic background of African American children plays a significant role in the development of asthma.
• Factors and the Risk of Asthma Morbidity Asthma is a highly prevalent disease among the U.S. population, especially in the case of school-age children.
• Diagnosis and Management of Asthma The annotation bibliography of the articles investigating issues and topics related to the pathophysiology of asthma.
• Asthma Education Program Asthma is a common childhood disease. Common symptoms are wheezing and cough. Patients also experience shortness of breath.
• Asthma Discharge Plan Overview Asthma remains the most common chronic childhood disease and one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity, school absenteeism, a parent lost workdays.
• The Blue Angel for Asthma Kids and Teledentistry: Health Informatics The Blue Angel for Asthma Kids application is an internet-based highly interactive asthma control program. Teledentistry is a real-time telehealth application.
• Childhood Asthma: Definition, Epidemiology, Diagnosis The purpose of this paper is to discuss the definition, epidemiology, clinical presentation, possible complications, and diagnosis of childhood asthma.
• Asthma: Diagnosis and Treatment Asthma is an allergic respiratory disease where the airways to the lungs swell preventing inflow and outflow of oxygen.
• Beta-Agonist Use and Death From Asthma Relationship The major objective of the study is to establish, according to previous studies, the relationship between beta-agonist uses and death from asthma.
• Prevalence and Death Rates of Asthma in Australia This paper will look at asthma in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who have a high prevalence rate.
• Asthma: Symptoms, Types, Etiology, and Treatment Asthma is a specific and rather severe condition that is determined by airways swelling, narrowing, and sometimes producing extra mucus.
• Asthma Management in a Forty-Year-Old Patient Asthma is a persistent lung illness that swells the air tubes causing the air passages area to be slender. The enlargement makes the airways to be susceptible to diseases.
• Asthma in Pregnancy and Intervention The goal of this treatment plan is to maintain optimal respiratory function, prevent chronic symptoms, and reduce exacerbation.
• Effects of Acute and Chronic Asthma on Patients and Families This paper aims to understand and explore the perspective of families who deal with patients with chronic asthma, particularly children.
• Asthma: Causes and Treatment Asthma is directly correlated with immune system activation as well as airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), mucus overproduction, and epithelial cell activation.
• Pediatric Asthma Readmission and the Role of Nurses Asthma among children and adolescents is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. The low levels of the parents’ awareness about the illness contribute to this problem significantly.
• A 12-Year-old Boy With Asthma Exacerbation The second scenario refers to the case of a 12-year-old boy that presents to the emergency department with asthma exacerbation, and it is the third time in the last three months.
• Cold-Induced Bronchial Asthma Description Cold-induced bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, and this chronic inflammation causes bronchial hyper-reactivity.
• Diagnosing Asthma: Treatment and Communication Plans To diagnose asthma and make sure that the child is going to receive rational treatment, the doctors will have to perform several tests.
• Effects of Asthma on Children and Adults An in-depth analysis of both the intrinsic and extrinsic causes of asthma as well as the perturbing yet underlying effects of this chronic respiratory condition.
• Adult Asthma: Symptomps and Treatment Asthma is a condition that is associated with wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and cough due to air hyper-responsiveness.
• Asthma Management in Children: Research Critique The article by Pinto et al. contributes to the study of asthma management in children but is not free of downsides either. Its strength lies in a sample of sufficient size.
• Teaching Sessions for African American Children With Asthma Issue The problem is that African-American children are likely to have this disease twice more compared to other races. These children are at risk regardless of social status and family income.
• Corticosteroids in Asthma Treatment: Literature Review Asthma denotes a chronic inflammatory infection of the airways whose commonest approach to treatment is the use of inhaled corticosteroids.
• Heart Failure, Asthma, and Wheezing Treatment The patient is diagnosed with asthma, and she receives the required treatment. However, the symptoms remain because she takes other medicines.
• The Relationship Between Asthma and Smoking This study explores the relationship between asthma and smoking among adult African Immigrants in California that are a relatively understudied group.
• Asthma and Stepwise Management Asthma is a chronic condition which, despite active research in this field, cannot be prevented. There is a need for approaches that allow managing and controlling this disease.
• Asthma Care Education in African American Children In African American children, will proper education on asthma management compared to no education help reduce the disruption of daily lives over a one-year period?
• Asthma Education and Prevention Program Asthma is a chronic lung disease that expresses itself in airway narrowing and obstruction, leading to breathing issues.
• Asthma Stepwise Management: Goals and Effectiveness Asthma affects many people in the US, so the nurse needs aware of all aspects that can help patients. This work analyzes ways of treating asthma and examines stepwise management.
• The Asthma Risk Factors Among Adult African Immigrants The purpose of this study is to examine the risk factors predicting asthma among adult African immigrants in California. The research design is the quantitative correlation approach.
• Acute and Chronic Bronchial Asthma Comparison The paper compares acute and chronic asthma in such aspects as pathogenesis, interactions with the genetic factor of disease development, diagnosis and treatment methods.
• Asthma Factors Among African Americans in California The purpose of this study was to examine risk factors predicting asthma among adult foreign-born African Americans in California.
• Asthma: Description, Diagnosis and Treatment Options Asthma itself is typically termed as a noncommunicable chronic disease that affects lungs and triggers an inflammation of airways, thus, causing breathing issues.
• Asthma, Its Nature and Testing Tools Whenever a patient suffers from regular coughing, has wheezing sounds when breathing, and experiences chest tightness, there is a high probability that one has developed asthma.
• Asthma Diagnostics, Care Plan and Patient Education The primary diagnosis of asthma was established based on the results of functional pulmonary tests and the examination of the patient.
• The Link Between Asthma and Immigrant Smoking The purpose of this study is to determine the association between asthma and smoking status among adult African immigrants in California.
• Asthma Incidence and Smoking among Immigrants in California This paper analyzes relationship between smoking behaviors and asthma cases in states or regions that have multiple immigrant population groups, such as New York and California.
• Children With Asthma: Risks Created by Smoking Parents The available literature indicates that secondhand smoking from parents hurts children with asthma and other respiratory diseases, causing complications.
• Asthma and Smoking Among Adult African Immigrants This study explores the association between asthma and smoking status among adult African immigrants in California using a quantitative correlational approach.
• Asthma Incidence and Smoking among African Immigrants in California This paper explores the association between asthma incidence and smoking among African immigrants in California.
• Asthma Control Education: Research Evaluation The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational program aimed at improving the quality of life of children suffering from asthma.
• Asthma: Corticosteroids and Side Effects in Children Asthma is supposed to be cured by a short-term corticosteroid medicine which has the maximum anti-inflammatory effect and minimum mineralocorticoid activity.
• Relationship between Asthma and Smoking The relationship between asthma and smoking explains why many adults who develop asthma past their 50th birthdays often have a history of smoking tobacco.
• Asthma Attacks, Their Prevention and Control The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pathophysiology of asthma, describe genomic issues, present a review of the literature on the topic.
• Asthma During Pregnancy, Its Symptoms and Treatment This paper analyzes a case of asthma during pregnancy, provides classification of symptoms, and submitted suggestions of treatment.
• The Most Common Types of Asthma
• How Asthma Affects the Airway and Lungs
• Diet and Nutrition for Asthma in a Child
• School-Aged Children With Early Chronic Illness: Asthma
• Childhood Asthma and Its Effects
• The Link Between Asthma and Food Allergies
• Asthma and How Medication Allows for Increased Performance
• Childhood Asthma and African American Children
• Asthma: Asthma and Strong Emotions
• The Benefits and Challenges of Managing Asthma
• Asthma and the Everyday Struggle for Air
• Evaluation and Concomitant Treatment of Asthma
• What You Should Know About Exercise-Induced Asthma
• Natural Cure Asthma Alternative Medicine
• Environmental Exposures and Asthma Development: Autophagy, Mitophagy, and Cellular Senescence
• Helping Your Kids Cope With Asthma
• Nutritional Applications That Help Fight Against Asthma
• What Are Some Natural Asthma Remedies
• Asthma, Food Allergy, and How They Relate to Each Other
• Asthma Cure Breathe Deeply and Naturally
• How Asthma Affects Your Body
• Asthma and Its Effects on Children
• Dietary (Nutritional) Recommendations for Asthma
• Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Asthma
• Allergies Asthma as Allergy Reaction
• Childhood Asthma and Its Relations
• Asthma: Definition, Etymology, Symptoms, and Treatment
• Predicting Asthma Using Clinical Indexes
• Nursing the Child With Asthma
• Asthma: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment
• The Four Different Types of Asthma
• Limitations From Suffering Chronic Asthma
• Lifetime Smoking and Asthma: A Mendelian Randomization Study
• Determining the Underlying Causes of Asthma
• Buteyko Breathing for Bronchial Asthma
• Asthma Affects the Respiratory System
• What Causes Asthma and How Can You, Manage It
• Lung Function and the Effects of Asthma
• The Common Causes and Triggers of Asthma
• Family Structure and the Treatment of Childhood Asthma
• Asthma and the Human Respiratory System
• Factors Into the Development of Asthma
• Children With Asthma Who Take Budesonide and Who Take Nedocromil
• Asthma and Classification Mechanism
• Mechanisms Mediating Pediatric Severe Asthma and Potential Novel Therapies
• Asthma and the Impacts of Environment Toxins
• Treating Pediatric Asthma According Guidelines
• Asthma and Common Allergy Symptoms
• Risk Factors for Childhood Asthma Development
• Flutiform Asthma – Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2023
• Arguing for Aggressive Asthma Diagnosis and Treatment
• Kids With Asthma Help Them Stay Healthy
• Asthma Control and Treatment in Racial and Ethnic Minorities
• Asthma: Causes Effects and Prevention
• Living With Asthma: The Experiences of Young People at Home and School
• Family Asthma and Maternal Labor Supply
• Exercise-Induced Asthma Randolph 1997
• Asthma Across Age: Insights From Primary Care
• Natural Asthma Treatments May Be the Alternative for You
• The Anatomy and Physiology of Respiratory System and the Diagnosis of Asthma
• Asthma Tops Childhood Illnesses
• Asthma Management and Drug Therapies
• Pesticides and Asthma: Challenges for Epidemiology
• Exercise for Asthma: Benefits, Best Types, and Safety Tips
• Characteristics and Treatments for Asthma
• Are Allergies and Asthma Related?
• Can Getting Enough Vitamin D During Pregnancy Reduce the Risk of Getting Asthma in Childhood?
• What Are the Effects of a Mediterranean Diet on Allergies and Asthma in Children?
• How Does Asthma Affect the Air Travel Routes?
• What Are the Asthma Nurse Interventions?
• Is Asthma Considered a Disability for Employment?
• What Can Parasites Tell About the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Asthma and Allergic Diseases?
• Does Asthma Affect Heart Rate?
• How Does Asthma Affect the Airway and Lungs?
• What Are the Different Triggers for Asthma?
• Can Asthma Be Managed Without Steroids?
• What Are the Causes of Asthma and How to Manage It?
• How Does Asthma Affect the Body?
• Can Asthma Cause Death?
• What System Does Asthma Affect?
• How Can Asthma Sufferers Live Drug-Free and Breathe Freely?
• What Happens When Asthma Is Unresponsive to Treatment?
• How Does Asthma Affect Development?
• What Type of Asthma Does Not Respond to Treatment?
• Can Corticosteroids Make Asthma Worse?
• What Are Some Natural Asthma Remedies?
• How Does Asthma Limit Your Ability to Work?
• Why Is Asthma More Common in Women Than Men?
• Does Heat Trigger Asthma Symptoms?
• What Is the Death Rate of Asthma?

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These essay examples and topics on Asthma were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on December 27, 2023 .

173 Asthma Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best asthma topic ideas & essay examples, 💡 interesting topics to write about asthma, 📑 good research topics about asthma, 📌 simple & easy asthma essay titles, 👍 good essay topics on asthma, ❓ research questions about asthma.

• SOAP Note for an Asthmatic Patient Today, asthma is known as one of the most common respiratory diseases in the United States, as well as in the whole world.
• Asthma Treatment Algorithm for Patients Complete the blanks in the following table to create an algorithm for asthma care using your textbook as well as GINA guidelines.
• Understanding Asthma in the Elderly: Triggers, Treatment, and Challenges The main objective of the given paper is to analyze the reasons of emergence of asthma among the elderly population, as well as research peculiarities of this group’s reaction to this condition as compared to […]
• Asthma Exacerbation in Pregnancy The patient has a history of childhood asthma diagnosis, and she is presently exhibiting typical asthma symptoms like wheezing and a nonproductive cough.
• Asthma: Epidemiological Analysis and Care Plan Asthma has a variety of symptoms and pathogenesis, including acute, subacute, or chronic inflammation of the airways, intermittent blockage of airflow, and hyperresponsiveness of the bronchi.
• Asthma Diagnosis in Pregnant Women It may be essential to modify the type and dose of medication to compensate for the alterations in the female’s metabolism and the severity of her health condition.
• Healthy Lifestyle Interventions in Comorbid Asthma and Diabetes In most research, the weight loss in cases of comorbid asthma and obesity is reached through a combination of dietary interventions and physical exercise programs.
• Clinical Case of Asthma in African American Boy By combining the use of corticosteroids and exercises into the treatment plan, as well as educating the patient and his parents about the prevention and management of asthma attacks, a healthcare practitioner will be able […]
• Asthma From a Clinic Perspective And the prevalence of asthma in the European Union is 9. In UK and Ireland experience some of the greatest rates of asthma in the globe.
• Corticosteroids and Inhalants in Asthma As well as the causes of fatigue and physiological events during an asthma attack, and how the body compensates for an increase in CO2, with a focus on the effects of hypercapnia on the central […]
• The Treatment Modalities of Asthma However, in order to limit susceptibility to the triggers, the patient is advised to take long-term asthma medications on a daily basis.
• Asthma Diagnostics and Treatment According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, some of the most common symptoms of asthma include cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and fainting.
• Asthma: Pathophysiology, Symptoms, and Manifestations The primary organ affected by asthma is the lungs, as the disease is caused by airway narrowing and the inability to breathe.
• Asthma: Description, Diagnosis and Treatment First of all, before discussing measures to prevent an increase in the case of the disease, it is necessary to understand the nature of the disease.
• Inflammation’s Role in Asthma Development This work is written in order to study the role of inflammation plays in the development of asthma on the basis of research papers.
• The Use of Tezspire: The Management of Asthma The brochure describes the use of Tezspire, which is a drug used for the management of asthma. The brochure’s target audience is patients with a long history of asthma and their family and caregivers.
• Asthma Treatment in Pediatric Patients: Spacer vs. Conventional Inhaler Computers and the Internet connection have become available to a considerable portion of the population, which equally serves as a facilitator of the new solution implementation.
• Physical Assessment Report for an 18-Years-Old Asthma Patient The boy and his family suspect that he is suffering frequent asthma attacks due to allergies to cold and dust, however none of his members of the family suffer from asthma.
• Asthma: Pathophysiology, Etiology, Diagnosis, and Complications The pathobiology of asthma remains greatly indeterminate, and its pathophysiology involves abnormalities of the respiratory system organs, including the lungs and the bronchial tree.
• Use of Scientific Method in Asthma and Allergic Reactions Study As in the case of asthma and allergic reactions investigations, descriptive studies can be used to describe the nature of the relationship between asthma and asthma attack, therefore explaining the cause and effect.
• COVID-19 Susceptibility in Bronchial Asthma by Green et al. The research reflected in the article aims to trace the susceptibility of patients with bronchial asthma to coronavirus disease. It is noted that the receptors that respond to those occurring in the environment are the […]
• Exercise-Induced Asthma in Children The onset of an EIA attack follows a constriction of the airways of the patient after physical exercise. When water shifts from the cells of the epithelium to the airway surface, it causes a release […]
• Child Asthma Emergency Department Visits: Plan for the Reduction The population of Central Harlem will be the target of this intervention that aims to decrease the rate of children’s asthma-related ED visits.
• The Child Asthma Emergency Department Visits The program makes it easy for medical caregivers to carry accurate assessments to pediatric patients. The program is easily scalable, and it is also sustainable, making 5A’s the best solution to Child Asthma Emergency Department […]
• Asthma Among Children of Color in New York City On the other hand, the conditioning of the matter to a particular scope hinders the determination of a rational scientific solution to the core issue.
• Asthma in Relation to Inability to Breathe: A Case Study The shortness of breath is known to be a primary cause of Asthma, whereas the asthmatic state of an individual also has the capabilities of influencing shortness of breath as a result of the lung […]
• Asthma Treatment Options, Long-Term Control, and Complications Speaking of the patient profile, the first aspects that should be mentioned are the peculiarities of asthma disease history and other health conditions that might affect the treatment pattern.
• Occupational Asthma: Case Discussion The primary diagnosis is occupational asthma; the causative agents of the indicated type of the disease are located directly at the person’s workplace.
• The Relationship Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Asthma Disease in Children The reaction of the host on the respiratory infections is closely correlated with the deficiency of the vitamin D [1]. This is because of the suggestion that providing vitamin D supplements to patients with low […]
• Asthma: Culture and Disease Analysis The cause of this condition is thought to be the narrowing of the person’s airways. This, as the experts explain, is a result of the inflammation of the airways in the lungs.
• Relationship Between Asthma and the Body Mass Index The optimal design of the study is the use of questionnaires, since the nature of the research requires the consent of individual respondents in form of writing.
• The Connection Between Asthma and Dust Emissions This is attributed to an increased rise of annual sandstorms and continued constructions that create a huge amount of dust in the air.
• Prevalence of Asthma Due to Climatic Conditions Newhouse and Levetin also conducted a study to find the correlation between the airborne fungal spores, the concentration of pollen, meteorological factors and other pollutants, and the occurrence of rhinitis and asthma.
• Helping African American Children Self-Manage Asthma The purpose of this critique is to analyze the weaknesses of the study. The title of the report Helping African American Children Self-Manage Asthma: The Importance of Self-Efficacy adequately identified the population of interest, namely […]
• Asthma Among the Japanese Population In a report by Nakazawa in which the author sought to determine the trend of asthma mortality among the Japanese population, emotional stress and fatigue emerged as the leading factors for the causation of asthma.
• Informed Consent – Ellen Roche, Asthma Study People interested in taking part in research trials have the right to know risks, benefits, procedures, the aim of the study, and protection of identity. This violation of subjects’ right led to the formation of […]
• Asthma Prevalence: Sampling and Confidence Intervals In the study which was carried out in United States in 2009 amongst the children and adults to show the prevalence of Asthma, a sample of 38,815 and confidence interval of 95% was used.
• Osteopathic Manipulation in Patients With Chronic Asthma This article seeks to criticise the application of osteopathic manipulation in the treatment of asthma patients. The focus is on the intervention of osteopathic manipulation therapy in restoring normal functioning and compliance to the thoracic […]
• 5-Year-Old With Asthma: Developmental Milestones & Care According to his mother, he also regularly grinds his teeth at night.G.J.was delivered normally and the mother had no complications. He could listen to instructions and get whatever he is being asked by his mother.
• Asthma Respiratory Disorder Treatment Asthma etiology is the classification of various risk factors responsible for causing asthma in children and adults. Asthma etiology is the scientific classification of risk factors that cause Asthma in children and adult.
• Genetics and the Asthma Case The allergies she complains of are some of the symptoms associated with asthma. Asthma is also known to attack children below the age of 15 years.
• Childhood Bronchial Asthma: Process & Outcome Measures The evidence that is used to support the adoption of this measure is the guideline on clinical practice, as well as the procedure of formal consensus.
• Biological Basis of Asthma and Allergic Disease The immunological response in asthmatic people fails in the regulation of the production of the Th2 cells and the anti-inflammatory cells.
• Asthma and Medications: The Ethical Dilemma in Treating Children One of the major causes of dilemma, however, is the inability to manage and treat the condition in children under the age of 7 years due to ethical dilemma.
• Exercise-Related Asthma in the 21st Century The study has also reported that almost 48 % of parents recognize the fact that children suffering from asthma have higher probability of the emergence of the typical symptoms of IEB.
• The Nature and Control of Non-Communicable Disease – Asthma Asthma is caused due to the inflammation of the airways which in turn induces cough, wheezing, breathlessness and a feeling of tightness in the chest.
• Application: Asthma The features of the air passage include the bronchi, alveoli and the bronchioles. The pathophysiology of chronic and acute asthma exacerbation describes the process and stages that lead to airway obstruction.
• Asthma in School Going Youth: Effects and Management The control and prevention of adverse effects of asthma are goals of managing asthma as stated in the National Asthma Education and Preventive Program asthma treatment guidelines.
• Asthma in the African American Community The paper will also highlight the effects that the treatment options used by African Americans have on the prevalence of the disease.
• Asthma Definition and Its Diagnostics The geographical area plays a major role in the distribution of the prevalence of asthma and its predisposing factors. There is scientific evidence that the presence of a history of asthma in parents is a […]
• Foot Orthosis, Asthma & Benign Tumor It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways, associated with the following symptoms: variable airflow obstruction and enhanced bronchial responsiveness to a variety of irritants.
• Asthma in School Children in Saudi Arabia The purpose of this paper is to review the current literature on asthmatic disease in Saudi Arabia to accurately determine the epidemiology nature of the condition through community assessment for purposes of compiling a health […]
• Usefulness of Acupuncture in Asthma Treatment The case for the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of asthma is to be further supported by more research studies, since current and past research has been affected by a number of limitations or […]
• Hypertension, Asthma and Glaucoma The assignment of duties is also a difficult task since the victim is forgetful and disoriented, which in this case may lead to delays or failures within the working system.
• The Management of Asthma According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the country has the highest prevalence of Asthma in the world. Quick-relief medications are used to manage symptoms that come with acute attacks of asthma-like coughing, tightening of […]
• Treatment of Asthma in Australia The rapid-acting treatments are taken to quicken the process of reversing acute asthmatic attacks by causing the relaxation of the smooth muscles of the bronchial system. These preventers reduce the sensitivity of airways hence swelling […]
• The Asthma and Emphysema Analysis According to Kinsella and others, etiology of emphysema is often associated with smocking, and this led to the hypothesis that emphysema develops with age whereas asthma is mostly prevalent in children.
• Asthma: Causes and Treatment Effects of asthma are more pronounced mostly at night and early in the morning and this results in lack of sleep.
• Acute Asthma: Home and Community-Based Care For Patients It refers to the continuum of care extended to patients from the health facility to the community and homes. An asthma attack is fatal and patients should be encouraged to perform self-administration of medication.
• How Emotions Spark Asthma Attack Although stress and emotions are known to start in a patient’s mind, asthma in itself is a physical disease that affects the patient’s lungs, and stress can create strong physiological reactions which may lead to […]
• Asthma Is a Chronic Inflammatory Disorder Hence the main purpose of the study is to investigate the association of smoking and secondhand smoke with level of asthma control, severity, and quality of life among adult asthmatics.
• Asthma: Leading Chronic Illness Among Children in the US Ample communication was to be provided to the family, Head Start personnel and the Child’s physician in relation to the asthma. A great reduction was seen in the asthma symptoms and emergency.
• Dealing With Asthma: Controversial Methods Because of the enormous speed of the illness spread, dealing with asthma is becoming a burning issue of the modern medicine. This is due to the fact that the muscles of the broche lack the […]
• Social Determinants of Health: Asthma Among Old People in Ballarat On the other hand, Melbourne is the capital city of the State of Victoria with a population of 4 million people, making it the second most populated city in Australia. This is a great challenge […]
• Asthma Investigation: Symptoms and Treatment In patients with asthma, the condition causes the inflammation of air passages that is followed by the significant narrowing of airways.
• Severe Asthma: The Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System The article focuses on asthma and the treatment that could alleviate the condition. Most of asthma patients are used to having an inhaler with them and this way, there is not much new technology, except […]
• Asthma in Pediatric and Occupational Therapy Treatment The flow peak is more than 80% of the child’s personal best, and less than 30% variability in the day-to-day flow of the peak measurements.
• Public & Community Health: Asthma in Staten Island There is borough of Bronx, which is considered to be the poorest, and the case with it has been stated here that asthma is the fate of the residents.
• Clinical Guidelines: Report on Asthma Guideline The guideline illustrates diagnostic procedures for assessment of severity and control of asthma based on presence of airway hypersensitiveness, reversibility of airflow, detailed medical history, respiratory tract, skin and chest examinations, spirometry to assess obstruction, […]
• Clinical Management of Complex Cases in Dentistry: Case of Hypertension With Asthma Understanding the role of various drug interactions and the effect of various drugs on the medical conditions of the patients is of valuable assistance.
• Health, Culture, and Identity as Asthma Treatment Factors She is the guardian of Lanesha and, despite raising another grandson and caring for her elderly mother, she is responsible for the health of the girl.
• The Anti-Inflammatory Role of IL-26 in Uncontrolled Asthma Research findings suggest that the suppression of IL-26 secretion in the lungs would alleviate the anti-inflammatory response associated with uncontrolled asthma.
• Nursing Informatics. Asthma: Health Literacy In the United States of America, bronchial asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children with the prevalence rate ranging from 6% to 9%.
• Asthma Pathophysiology and Genetic Predisposition The pathophysiology of this disorder involves one’s response to an antigen and a subsequent reaction of the body in the form of inflammation, bronchospasm, and airway obstruction.
• Asthma: Pathopharmacological Foundations for Advanced Nursing Practice Because of the high prevalence of asthma in the USA, mortality and morbidity rates in the country are also excessive. Asthma is one of the most common diseases in the USA, with high prevalence and […]
• Asthma as Community Health Issue in the Bronx The rate of people, especially children, with asthma in this area is among the highest ones in the city. The issue of asthma in New York and the Bronx, in particular, is connected to multiple […]
• Environmental Factors of Asthma in Abu Dhabi City A countrywide evaluation of the demises related to environmental pollution that takes a significant role in the rising cases of asthma shows UAE as the most affected nations since the discovery of oil in 1958 […]
• Occupational Asthma: Michelle’s Case The first test is not prohibitively expensive, and the patient should be able to afford it if she can pay for the medications.
• Asthma Patient’s Examination and Care Plan HPI: Being discharged from the facility ten weeks ago, the patient reports having shortness of breath, severe wheezing, and coughing. To control symptoms, the patient takes HTCZ and Enalapril.
• Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-Asthma Overlap The purpose of the research was to expand the current knowledge of the overlap syndrome in order to determine its prevalence and risk factors.
• Chronic Asthma and Acute Asthma Exacerbation The consequences of the smooth muscles’ tightening can be aggravated by the thickening of the bronchial wall due to acute edema, cellular infiltration, and remodeling of the airways chronic hyperplasia of smooth muscles, vessels, and […]
• Asthma and Stepwise Management The stepwise approach to asthma treatment and management is a six-step approach, according to which the number and the dose of medications and frequency of management are increased as necessary when symptoms persist and then […]
• Asthma, Its Diagnostics, Treatment and Prevention Hippocrates was the one who labeled the disease as asthma, a Greek word that was used to denote the idea of “wind or to blow”, perhaps an attempt to describe the wheezing sound produced by […]
• Asthma: Evidence-Based Pharmacological Treatment For instance, in children under 6, the development of the disease is typically preceded by the asthma-like symptoms that manifest themselves roughly at the age of three.
• The Evaluation of Evidence Linking Asthma With Occupation Overall, the results of this study supported the initial argument of the authors in regard to the need for frequent updates and modifications of JEMs in order for them to reflect the most relevant and […]
• Pregnant Woman’s Asthma Case The case mentions the decreased effectiveness of the fluticasone MDI that she uses which can also be a clue to her condition. Her patterns of MDI use in the last two months and the bronchospasm […]
• Asthma: Causes and Mechanisms The enlargement of the dense oesinophilic line near the bronchus/airways causes the individual to wheeze and gasp for air. The drugs are mainly used in the rapid opening of the bronchus to enable airflow into […]
• Healthcare: Childhood Asthma and the Risk Factors in Australia From the findings presented above, it is evident that childhood asthma remains a considerable burden in Australia due to socioeconomic, geographic, and health-related issues such as deprived neighbourhoods, decreasing sun exposure and increasing latitude, and […]
• Intubation and Mechanical Ventilation of the Asthmatic Patient in Respiratory The title of the article gives a clear idea of the research question to be investigated. The authors have detailed the processes of intubation and mechanical ventilation in patients with acute asthma.
• Asthma Environmental Causes This essay discusses the measures that can be taken to mitigate environmental causes of asthma. In the US, the government has developed a comprehensive strategy to mitigate environmental causes of asthmatic conditions in children.
• Asthma’s Diagnosis and Treatment The complete occlusion of the airway can lead to growth of a distal at the atelectasis in the lung parenchyma. The level of AHR is connected to the signs of asthma and the urgency of […]
• The Effects Of Asthma On Pregnant African Americans
• Urban Children and Asthma Care Barriers
• Asthma: Asthma and Nocturnal Asthma
• The Health Problem of Asthma in the United States of America
• Asthma: Chronic Inflamatory Obstructive Lung Disease
• Asthma and Food-Allergy Reactions
• Asthma And Exercise Asthmatic Asthmatics Breathing
• Automobile Emissions, Co And Asthma
• Asthma Control and Treatment in Racial and Ethnic Minorities
• Asthma Is The Most Common Chronic Disease Of The Airways
• Inflammatory Mediators Of Asthma And Histamines Biology
• The Impact of Asthma on the Respiratory System, Its Causes, and Treatment
• How Asthma Affects The Airway And Lungs
• Diet and Nutrition for Asthma in a Child
• Urban Asthma And The Neighborhood Environment
• Asthma And Its Pathophysiological Structure
• The Effects of Medication on the Increased Performance of Asthma Patients
• What Parents Need To Know About Asthma
• Employment Behaviors of Mothers Who have a Child with Asthma
• The Genetic and Environmental Components of Asthma
• The Influence of Asthma on the Lives of Students
• Children’s Elevated Risk of Asthma in Unmarried Families: Underlying Structural and Behavioral Mechanisms
• The Effects Of Environmental Tobacco Smoke Among Children With Asthma
• The Effects Of Air Pollution On Children ‘s Asthma Emergency
• Is Improper Use Of The Inhaler Related To Poor Asthma Control
• Asthma Symptoms, Diagnosis, Management & Treatment
• Limitations From Suffering Chronic Asthma
• Causes And Effect Of Allergies And Asthma
• Describe The Main Limitations Suffered By Those With Chronic Asthma
• The Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis of Asthma
• Negligent: Asthma and Nursing Interventions
• The Signs, Causes and What Triggers Asthma
• The Routine Care for Patients with Coronary Heart Disease, Asthma, Stroke, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Urinary Tract Infections, Diabetes, and Cervical Cancer
• The Role Of Nurse Management Asthma And School Health Program
• The Scope of Asthma in the General Population and on the Health Care System
• The Most Effective Treatment for an Asthma Exacerbation
• Pathophysiology Of Chronic Asthma And Acute Asthma
• The Use Of Vitamin D Asthmatic Children Effectiveness Of Vitamin Supplements In Childhood Asthma
• The Ways in Which the Symptoms of Asthma Can Be Reduced
• Measures to Minimize Environmental Causes of Asthma
• Inner City Adult Asthma Patients and Risk Factors
• Raising Awareness to Prevent the Rise of Asthma
• Planning and Intervention in the Disease Process of Childhood Asthma
• The Anatomy And Physiology Of Respiratory System And The Diagnosis Of Asthma
• The Causes and Effects of Asthma Sufferers
• The Application of Corticosteroids in the Management of Bronchial Asthma
• Salbutamol: History of Development in Asthma Drug Compounds
• Sensitization To Plant Food Allergens In Patients With Asthma
• The Diagnosis and Treatment of Otitis Media and Asthma
• The Discrepancy between Asthma Cases in Minority and White Communities
• The Chronic Illness in Children Known as Asthma
• Does Childhood Asthma Improve With Age?
• What Are the First Warning Signs of Asthma?
• Which Child Is at Greatest Risk for Asthma?
• What Is the Genetic Predisposition of Asthma?
• Can Occupational Therapy Help With Asthma?
• How to Ventilate Obstructive and Asthmatic Patients?
• What Is a Risk Factor Associated With Childhood Asthma?
• What Type of Approach Is Used in Asthma Management?
• What Is the Difference Between Asthma and Acute Asthma?
• What Are the Pharmacological Treatment of Asthma?
• How Is Asthma Diagnosed?
• Can Asthma During Pregnancy Affect Baby?
• What Are the Three Mechanisms Involved in Asthma?
• How Does Genetics and Environment Affect Asthma?
• How Long Does It Take To Recover From Asthma Exacerbation?
• What Factors Influence the Development of Asthma?
• What Is the Physiological Cause of Asthma?
• What Are the Statistics on Asthma in Australia?
• What Is the Most Serious Type of Asthma?
• What Ethnic Group Is Especially Likely to Have Childhood Asthma?
• What Is a Nursing Care Plan of an Asthmatic Patient?
• Does Asthma Cause Smooth Muscle Hypertrophy?
• Should People With Asthma Use a Humidifier?
• What Is Mechanical Ventilation Asthma?
• What Is the Most Common Allergen to Trigger Asthma?
• What Is the Main Physiological Cause of Asthma?
• What Percent of Asthma Is Caused by Smoking?
• How Long Does the Average Person With Asthma Live?
• Which Drug Is Safe for Asthma in Pregnancy?
• How Many People With Asthma Still Smoke?
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IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 173 Asthma Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/asthma-essay-topics/

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Science News

Chronic asthma could be caused by cell overcrowding in the airways.

Treatments have targeted the symptoms of the lung disease, not the cause

These images show how an asthma attack can affect the airways. In the left image, mouse epithelial tissue (greenish-yellow) lining the lung is fully open but collapses (right) once treated with a drug known to narrow the airways. The constriction can lead to the tissue jettisoning epithelial cells, new research shows.

Dustin Bagley

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By Monique Brouillette

May 10, 2024 at 11:30 am

Despite a wealth of available treatments to control the symptoms of chronic asthma, the lung disease has no cure. The discovery of an unexpected cause of asthma could change that.

A glitch in the mechanical process that drives normal turnover of epithelial cells lining the lungs could be to blame, researchers report in the April 5 Science . Better understanding of this physical force underpinning chronic asthma attacks might lead to new ways of combating the disease.

The mechanical process that drives epithelial lung cell turnover is called cell extrusion. It goes something like this: Epithelial cells in the lung lining replicate, and as new cells populate the tissue, things get crowded and pressure between the cells increases. Cells sense this crowding and initiate a process that ejects weaker cells from the layer, forcing them to die off. The process maintains a healthy epithelial lining in the airways.

There have been hints that this process could be implicated in asthma ( SN: 9/26/18 ). But researchers studying the disease, which affects 300 million people worldwide and contributes to the death of 1,000 people a day, have focused on other triggers. In the early 1900s, the discovery that epinephrine could reverse shortness of breath led scientists to believe the disease was due to constriction of the smooth muscle surrounding the lungs. Decades later, scientists revised their understanding to include a problem with persistent inflammation in the airway.

After looking at images of lungs whose linings were riddled with damage from chronic asthma under the microscope, cell biologist Jody Rosenblatt had an epiphany. In 2015, she had published research showing the pressure from overcrowding in the epithelium could trigger cell death and extrusion. She wondered, could the pressure from a single asthma attack kick off a vicious cycle of cell death, damage to the lungs and future asthma attacks?

To test the hypothesis, she and colleagues first used methacholine, a drug that narrows the bronchioles, the tiniest airways lacing the lungs, to simulate asthma attacks in living mouse lung cells primed to be hyperresponsive. Fifteen minutes of constricting the airways caused severe crowding of epithelial cells and led to an excess of cells being ejected, with a strong correlation between the amount of constriction caused by the crowding and the sloughing of cells.

To see whether similar effects occurred in humans, Rosenblatt and colleagues obtained airway samples from people with moderate to severe asthma who were having lung cancer surgery. The patient samples showed severe extrusion, a buildup of mucus and immune cells, and damage in the airways, the team found.

“There was way too much extrusion, and the whole epithelium just fell apart,” says Rosenblatt, of King’s College London. “The damage itself can start to feedback, because you don’t have enough epithelium coating your airways [so] your lungs, stay contracted all the time trying to reduce [their] surface area.” The lungs will contract to maintain a barrier and keep allergens and irritants out.

Treatment of the mouse tissue with albuterol, a drug that relaxes the airways, did ease the constriction but did nothing to reverse the damage. As the mouse lung slices relaxed and the airways opened, there were more gaps in the epithelial lining, providing openings for allergens and irritants to get in. That may explain why people with asthma have noted that while albuterol helps with breathing, it feels like asthma can get worse over time, Rosenblatt says.

The research is “a gorgeous example of how the mechanics of the tissue contributes to the disease,” says Lisa Manning, a physicist at Syracuse University in New York who was not involved with the paper. She thinks physical forces play central role in human health and disease, though they are currently underappreciated. 

In another series of experiments, Rosenblatt’s team tested whether blocking cell receptors that sense mechanical force in mouse cells could prevent or reverse some of the damage from the excessive cell extrusion ( SN: 10/4/21 ). The team targeted piezo1, a protein that senses the mechanical pressure of epithelial cell crowding, the first step in cell extrusion. After administering drugs that inhibited the receptor, the researchers observed a significant decrease in jettisoned cells, inflammation and mucus production, suggesting a way to prevent the damage.

These findings need to continue to be tested in mice and humans to see if there could be clinical applications.

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Finding the Right Approach to Treating Asthma

A q&a with sandra zaeh, sandra zaeh, md.

Sandra Zaeh, MD , is interested in improving clinical outcomes for patients with asthma. In recent research, she found that current guideline-based asthma treatment is implemented less than 15 percent of the time for moderate to severe asthma due to various factors, including a lack of knowledge about the proper treatment approach.

In the next few months, as a newly promoted assistant professor of medicine in the Yale Department of Internal Medicine Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Zaeh will lead the recruitment of subjects from the Yale Center for Asthma and Airways Disease for a study in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the study aims to improve the quality of care for patients at risk of asthma attacks.

In an interview, Zaeh discusses the basics of asthma, different approaches to treating the inflammatory condition, and why controlling asthma is of the utmost importance to asthma physicians and pulmonologists.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which the bronchial airways in the lungs get narrowed and swollen, making it difficult to breathe. People with asthma can feel fine for some time, and then a trigger can cause an asthma attack, which can lead to significant health repercussions. Asthma disproportionately affects Black and Latinx people, low-income populations, and other groups.

How does asthma affect quality of life?

Uncontrolled asthma with frequent exacerbations can cause adults to miss days of work and children to miss school. Asthma can impact your ability to breathe on a day-to-day basis. It can lead to hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and, in some cases, fatality.

How is asthma treated?

For the past several decades, the treatment paradigm for asthma has involved control and relief medications. Controller therapy usually includes an inhaled corticosteroid that you take one to two times a day to control your symptoms. You take a reliever therapy between controller doses to minimize asthma symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing. The traditional reliever therapy has been albuterol, a short-acting bronchodilator that quickly opens the airways.

Interestingly, the data now supports a slightly different management strategy. The big update in asthma management is the introduction of anti-inflammatory reliever therapy for asthma. Current guidelines promote the use of the same inhaler for both control and relief for moderate to severe asthma, with a combination of an inhaled steroid and a quick-acting, long-acting beta agonist called formoterol. This approach is called SMART, or Single Maintenance and Reliever Therapy, because one inhaler does the job that two inhalers used to do.

Tell us about your study involving patients at risk of asthma attacks.

Even though SMART is currently guideline-based care, we’re having difficulty implementing this approach in clinical practice. There are similar, alternative approaches that may be better for certain patients. One of those approaches, which will be tested in this study, is PARTICS, or Patient Activated Reliever-Triggered Inhaled CorticoSteroids. Every time PARTICS patients use their albuterol inhaler, they’re asked to use one puff of inhaled steroid. When they use their albuterol nebulizer as a reliever, they're asked to use five puffs of inhaled steroid. It’s different than SMART because the approach uses more than one inhaler and incorporates the use of nebulizers as relievers.

Many people in the U.S. use an albuterol nebulizer as a reliever because they feel it works more effectively. The PARTICS approach incorporates those individuals.

Studied in Black and Latinx patients with moderate to severe asthma a few years ago, PARTICS was shown to reduce severe asthma exacerbations and improve asthma control and quality of life. Our study compares PARTICS to SMART, the current standard of care. The idea of the study is to test to see if the two approaches are equally effective or if one is more effective than the other.

What do you hope to accomplish through this research?

It’s important to have different asthma management approaches that can be used and tailored for each patient based on needs and preferences. For example, PARTICS is perhaps more appropriate than SMART for people who use nebulizers as their reliever. PARTICS may be more effective or better covered by insurance for some people.

Whether PARTICS or SMART, these approaches are the future of asthma management. By studying these different anti-inflammatory reliever approaches, we can improve implementation and use these therapies more efficaciously.

The more options we have to treat asthma, the better.

The Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine is one of the eleven sections within Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine. To learn more about Yale-PCCSM, visit PCCSM's website , or follow them on Facebook and Twitter .

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Asthma Research

Why we need research.

Asthma research helps us understand how the disease is caused, how it develops and how it is best treated. Research can also help us understand who is at high risk for developing asthma, certain triggers, and ways to avoid getting asthma. 

Our Asthma Research Program

The American Lung Association is committed to funding asthma research. Our Awards and Grants Program funds top-notch researchers at important career crossroads to gain long-term commitment to lung health and disease research. Without the life-long dedication of lung researchers, important and much-needed discoveries would not be possible. In addition to the Awards and Grants Program, the Lung Association funds the Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network , which implements patient-centered clinical trials, and has helped to change the nature of asthma patient care since its inception in 2000. 

What Research Is Being Done?

Some of the current topics American Lung Association funded researchers are investigating include understanding the immune system’s role in asthma, using mobile technology to reach young African Americans with asthma, and better defining subtypes of asthma. Together, studies like these lead to improved therapy, quality of life, and access to care for all people with asthma.

Thanks to the medical breakthroughs led by Lung Association researchers and their colleagues, we have made significant contributions to improve our understanding of asthma. 

Currently funded Lung Association researchers are:  

• Studying asthma that is resistant to steroid treatments 
• Boosting the immune system to reduce allergic inflammation in airways  
• Understanding which genes are responsible for severe asthma 
• Finding new genetic targets in lung tissue for new asthma therapy and prevention
• Improve our understanding of the challenges in access to asthma medication in schools 
• Evaluating asthma management policy in Chicago schools 
• Providing asthma education to children in the hospital and at home 

Asthma Researchers

Visit our Meet the Researchers section to view our asthma researchers and their studies.

Asthma Clinical Trials

• See our Lung Association  listing of current trials . 
• View ACRC clinical trials that are currently recruiting as well as outcomes from completed studies.

Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) Network

The ACRC is the nation's largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment research, attracting some of the best investigators nationwide. The ACRC Network conducts large clinical trials that will directly impact patient care for COPD and asthma. 

Meet our Principal Investigators, see where our centers are located and learn more about some of the important research findings at Lung.org/acrc .

Page last updated: April 19, 2023

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Other Diseases & Conditions — Asthma

Essay Examples on Asthma

The importance of writing an essay on asthma cannot be overstated. Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects millions of people worldwide. By writing an essay on asthma, you can help raise awareness about this disease and its impact on individuals and society as a whole. Your essay can also provide valuable information about asthma, its symptoms, triggers, and management, which can be helpful for those affected by the condition as well as their families and caregivers.

When writing an essay on asthma, it's important to start with a strong introduction that grabs the reader's attention and clearly states the purpose of your essay. You can then provide background information about asthma, including its prevalence and impact on individuals and public health. Be sure to include accurate and up-to-date information from credible sources.

As you delve into the body of your essay, consider discussing the causes and risk factors for asthma, as well as its symptoms and potential complications. You can also explore the different types of asthma, such as allergic asthma and exercise-induced asthma, and discuss the various treatment options available, including medications and lifestyle changes.

Additionally, you can use your essay to highlight the importance of asthma education and awareness, as well as the need for research and funding to improve asthma management and care. Finally, be sure to conclude your essay with a strong summary of the key points you've discussed, as well as a call to action for your readers to get involved in asthma advocacy and support efforts.

When writing your essay, be sure to use clear and concise language, and organize your thoughts in a logical manner. Use proper grammar and punctuation, and cite your sources appropriately to support your arguments and provide credibility to your essay. Finally, consider including personal anecdotes or stories from individuals affected by asthma to add a human touch to your writing and make your essay more relatable and impactful.

Best Asthma Essay Topics

When it comes to writing an essay about asthma, there are countless interesting topics to explore. Some of the best asthma Essay Topics include:

• The impact of air pollution on asthma prevalence
• The role of genetics in asthma development
• The relationship between asthma and mental health
• The effectiveness of alternative treatment methods for asthma
• The impact of asthma on children's education and social development
• The economic burden of asthma on healthcare systems
• The influence of climate change on asthma prevalence
• The connection between asthma and allergies
• The stigma surrounding asthma and its impact on individuals
• The role of healthcare disparities in asthma management

Asthma Essay Topics Prompts

Looking for some inspiration for your asthma essay? Here are five creative prompts to get you started:

• Imagine a world where asthma is completely eradicated. How would society be different?
• Write a personal essay about your experience living with asthma and the impact it has had on your life.
• Research and discuss the relationship between asthma and environmental factors, such as air quality and climate change.
• Explore the cultural and social perceptions of asthma in different parts of the world.
• Create a fictional story that highlights the challenges and triumphs of living with asthma.

Choosing the right asthma essay topic is the first step towards writing an engaging and informative essay. By considering current issues, personal experiences, and creative prompts, you'll be on your way to crafting a compelling piece of writing that stands out.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

This article is part of the research topic.

Unlocking the Nexus of Bioactive Components, Nutrition, and Nutrigenomics in Age-Related Disorders

Dietary intake, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in relation to childhood asthma: A Mendelian randomization study Provisionally Accepted

• 1 Leshan Vocational and Technical College, China
• 2 Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Currently, there is limited and inconsistent evidence regarding the risk association between daily dietary intake, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins with Childhood Asthma (CA). Therefore, this study employs Mendelian Randomization (MR) methodology to systematically investigate the causal relationships between daily dietary intake, serum antioxidants, serum minerals, and the circulating levels of serum vitamins with CA. Methods: This study selected factors related to daily dietary intake, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and sugars, as well as serum antioxidant levels (lycopene, uric acid, and β-carotene), minerals (calcium, copper, selenium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium), and vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E), using them as Instrumental Variables (IVs). Genetic data related to CA were obtained from the FinnGen and Gwas Catalog databases, with the primary analytical methods being Inverse Variance Weighting (IVW) and sensitivity analysis. Result: Following MR analysis, it is observed that sugar intake (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.55-0.91, P: 0.01) is inversely correlated with the risk of CA, while the intake of serum circulating magnesium levels (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.06-2.53, P: 0.03), fats (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06-1.95, P: 0.02), and serum vitamin D levels (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.04-1.25, P: 0.02) are positively associated with an increased risk of CA. Conclusion: This study identified a causal relationship between the daily dietary intake of sugars and fats, as well as the magnesium and vitamin D levels in serum, and the occurrence of CA. However, further in-depth research is warranted to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying these associations.

Keywords: Childhood Asthma (CA), daily dietary intake, Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, Mendelian Randomization (MR)

Received: 16 Mar 2024; Accepted: 10 May 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Luo, Chen, Zhou, Xiang and Peng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Mx. Jing Peng, Leshan Vocational and Technical College, Leshan, China

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What Triggers Asthma?

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Asthma is a chronic condition that causes inflammation and tightening of the airways which can cause symptoms like difficulty breathing, wheezing, and coughing. Asthma is a common condition and affects more than 4 million children and over 20 million adults in the United States.

Researchers don’t exactly know why some people develop asthma, but studies have identified some factors that may increase your risk of experiencing symptoms. For example, if you live with allergies or have a parent with asthma, you may be more likely to experience the condition yourself.

Many other factors can also trigger worsened symptoms and asthma attacks. Knowing your triggers can help you prevent exposure to them, which may improve symptoms and your overall quality of life.

Tobacco Smoke

Smoking tobacco via cigarettes or vapes can irritate your airways and worsen your asthma symptoms. People who smoke or had a parent who smoked during pregnancy may also be at a higher risk of developing asthma.

Being a smoker isn’t the only trigger for asthma attacks. If you’re exposed to secondhand smoke (or, inhaling smoke from someone smoking near you), your asthma symptoms can also get triggered.

How To Manage

Quitting smoking is not an easy process. Many people may need to make multiple attempts before fully breaking the habit. Fortunately, there are ways to stop smoking if that’s a goal for you.

Your healthcare provider is a good resource to go to for advice on how to improve this habit. They can help you manage withdrawal symptoms and recommend therapies like nicotine replacement therapy. You can also get information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which provides resources to help people who want to quit.

Trying to limit secondhand smoke can also pose certain challenges, especially if you live with someone who smokes or in an environment where people smoke in public places nearby. To help remove secondhand smoke from your home, consider speaking to your loved one about avoiding or limiting smoking around the house. When you’re outside, do your best to avoid spaces where people are smoking.

Dust mites are tiny, insect-like pests that live in house dust and feed off dead human skin cells. These bugs are present in many homes and can trigger asthma attacks in people with allergies who have asthma.

Mild dust mite allergies can cause watery eyes, occasional sneezing, and a runny nose. However, more severe cases can lead to a more serious and persistent cough, nasal congestion, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.

The best way to deal with dust mite allergies is to avoid exposure to dust mites. To significantly reduce dust mites in your home, you can:

• Vacuum your floors, rugs, and carpets by using a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter if possible
• Consider replacing rugs and carpets with hard-surfaced flooring, especially if you don’t use a vacuum with a HEPA filter or are unable to vacuum regularly
• Use dehumidifiers and air conditioning to keep the humidity levels in your rooms below 50%
• Remove unnecessary clutter to reduce the number of places dust mites can hide.
• Wash your mattress, pillowcase covers, and curtains in hot water at least once a week

Although it may be impossible to eliminate dust mites in your environment you can take steps to alleviate symptoms. Consider speaking to a healthcare provider about getting over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications, such as antihistamines and allergy shots , to help control your asthma symptoms and keep dust mite triggers at bay.  

Molds are microscopic fungi that are a part of the natural environment and can grow indoors and outdoors. Excess moisture in dark spaces is the most common reason mold grows. They usually form and spread on damp or decaying organic matter, so keep your environment clean and dry.

When you inhale mold, this allergen can trigger asthma attacks, even if you’re not allergic. Sometimes, mold can go undetected. That said, if you notice you are feeling sicker at work or home, it may be a good idea to try to have the space inspected for mold by a professional.

Molds may appear harmless, but inhaling them over extended periods can greatly reduce your overall well-being. To minimize your risk of asthma flare-ups, try to reduce mold exposure in your environment by doing the following:

• Throw away items or food with mold growing on them
• Dry damp items like clothes within 48 hours
• Fix any water leaks promptly
• Use a dehumidifier at home
• Scrub molds off surfaces using a brush, detergent or soap, and hot water
• Open the windows regularly to air out your home

Pollen can cause allergic reactions in some people and trigger asthma attacks in those with asthma. If you are allergic to pollen, your symptoms will often be seasonal since you are most likely exposed to pollen from grasses, trees, and weeds only during the spring.

To help manage and reduce the effects of pollen on your asthma, consider the following strategies:

• Keep your windows shut during pollen season
• Use air cleaners with HEPA filters indoors to reduce indoor airborne allergens
• Limit outdoor activities during pollen season
• Change clothes when you come inside after being out
• Start using allergy medications, with approval from your healthcare provider

Animal Dander

About 10-20% of people worldwide are allergic to dogs and cats. Like pollen, animal dander is an allergen that can trigger an asthma attack. If you are allergic to animal dander, physical contact with your pet’s dead skin cells (dander) can trigger asthma symptoms .

To limit exposure to animal dander and prevent asthma attacks, try the following tips: 

• Keep pets away from your bed, couch, and any other fabric furniture 
• Ask a loved one without asthma and pet allergies to groom your pet regularly 
• Change your clothes, wash them, and bathe after you spend time with your pet

Outdoor Air Pollution

Other outdoor pollutants (e.g., smoke and certain germs) and exposure to certain elements(e.g., ash, chemical fumes, and vapors), can also trigger asthma attacks. Ozone, the main component of smog, is another allergen that can raise the risk of asthma symptoms.

Although changing air quality is often not within your control, you can minimize the risk of exposure by avoiding working in environments where harmful chemicals are produced or wearing personal protective equipment (such as masks) when you are near them.

It’s also a good idea to pay attention to the air quality index (AQI) in your area. You can often find this information on the weather app on your phone, but the local radio station, news channels, and online sources like AirNow are also helpful.

Staying physically active is an important part of your overall health. However, you should monitor how your body feels before and during exercise if you have asthma. Exercise and physically demanding tasks can trigger asthma symptoms if your body is not used to vigorous exercise. This phenomenon is called exercise-induced asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB).

EIB occurs in 40-90% of people with asthma and up to 20% of people without asthma. This condition causes temporary narrowing of the airways, leading to symptoms like coughing, chest tightness, and wheezing within 15 minutes of a high-intensity exercise.

The thought of having exercise-induced asthma could discourage you from exercising, but physical activity can improve your lung health. Avoiding physical activity can also negatively affect your mental health. For example, getting less exercise can lead to a higher risk of certain health conditions and a lower quality of life. If you hesitate to exercise with asthma, you can engage in other physical activities that you enjoy.

Your healthcare provider can work with you to decide what types of exercise are best for you and recommend modifications and other treatments that make working out easier for you. You can also ask them how long you should exercise and which physical activities to limit or avoid.

Viral infections

Viral infections linked to colds , influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can trigger asthma attacks in some people. It’s worth noting that experiencing viral respiratory infections in childhood can also increase the risk of developing chronic asthma later in life.

You may not be able to avoid getting viruses completely, but here are things you can do to minimize your risk of getting sick and triggering asthma symptoms:

• Wash and sanitizing your hands frequently
• Stay away from overcrowded places 
• Wear face masks in public areas
• Avoid contact with people who have a viral infection
• Get your annual flu and COVID-19 vaccinations

It’s also important to follow an actionable asthma plan with steps to help you manage your asthma and respond appropriately when you encounter triggers. Typically this includes information like a list of your triggers, emergency contact numbers, medications that you use, and any other information that would be useful in an emergency.  

Stress, which can be in the form of strong emotions (such as anger and fear) or intense emotional instability, can cause rapid breathing and trigger asthma symptoms in some individuals.

While some stressors are out of your control, what you can manage is how you reduce your stress levels. To help you manage your stress, experts recommend trying activities like yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation—all of which can help you relax, stay mindful, and focus on other thoughts.

Consider reaching out to your healthcare provider or mental health professional if you are having trouble finding ways to manage emotional stress, as they can help you find stress management techniques that may work better for you.

People with obesity are at a greater risk of asthma. Some research suggests that excess adipose tissue (fat around the abdomen) can cause inflammation which can worsen asthma symptoms.

Eating low-calorie foods , cutting out refined and high-sugar foods, and being physically active can help you maintain a healthy weight that works for your body. These strategies can improve any obesity-related symptoms you’re experiencing, as well as lowering your risk of an asthma attack.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you're concerned about your weight. They can help you explore possible contributing factors, including underlying conditions and medications.

Other Possible Triggers

Everyone experiences asthma a bit differently. As such, the above triggers are not an all-inclusive list of things that can trigger your asthma. That’s why it’s important to identify and keep track of factors that might trigger your symptoms. If the above items don’t trigger your asthma, other less common triggers may include:

• Sinus infections
• Cold and windy weather
• Breathing in cold or dry air
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Pregnancy 
• Strong odors such as from disinfectants or cleaning supplies
• Certain medications, such as beta blockers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ( NSAIDs ) drugs

How To Identify Your Asthma Triggers

What triggers asthma flare-ups varies from person to person. One important step towards managing your asthma is finding out what causes your symptoms.

Here are some tips to help you identify asthma triggers:

• Take an allergy test
• Observe when your symptoms occur and looking out for patterns
• Write down your symptoms in a journal, including when and how often they occur
• Monitor your lung function by and watching for symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain when you exercise
• Get a medical diagnosis to rule out or determine any underlying conditions that could be triggering your asthma, such as GERD or sinus infections

A Quick Review

With asthma, your lungs tend to be more sensitive to various environmental triggers, such as cold air, strong odors, and outdoor pollutants. These irritants can increase your risk of developing an asthma flare-up—or a period where your symptoms worsen. Fortunately, knowing your triggers can help you avoid them.

If you have asthma, it’s also a good idea to develop an asthma action plan with your healthcare provider to ensure you can keep your symptoms at bay wherever you are.

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