#154 - What Providers Need to Know About Uncontrolled Asthma

If you treat patients with asthma, this episode is for you. Not just allergists, but GPs, pediatricians, family medicine doctors, urgent care providers, and anyone who sees a patient with asthma in their practice.

Dr. Cherie Zachary, current president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, joins Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta to talk about why uncontrolled asthma remains a serious and largely preventable problem, and what providers can do differently starting with their next patient visit.

What we cover in this episode about uncontrolled asthma

• The data behind the problem. ER visits, hospitalizations, and asthma deaths have not improved in years, and Dr. Zachary explains why that should concern every provider who treats asthma patients.
• An ER visit is a treatment failure. Dr. Zachary makes the case that any asthma patient who ends up in urgent care or the emergency room should trigger an immediate reassessment of their treatment plan, not just a course of steroids and a send-home.
• Five questions every provider should be asking. The episode walks through a standardized set of control questions designed to help providers catch uncontrolled asthma before it becomes a crisis, covering steroid use, ER visits, rescue inhaler use, nighttime waking, and daily activity limitations.
• Why patients normalize their symptoms. Providers hear what controlled asthma should actually look like, and why patients often don't volunteer the information needed to catch a problem.
• Who is most at risk. Dr. Zachary shares which patient populations are most likely to have uncontrolled asthma and least likely to be identified, and what providers can do to close that gap.

More resources about uncontrolled asthma

• ControlYourAsthma.org

• Free AAN Asthma Coach Program

• Find an allergist

• Understanding Oral Corticosteroid Overuse in Asthma

Made in partnership with The Allergy & Asthma Network.

Thanks to Sanofi-Regeneron for sponsoring today’s episode.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical concerns.