BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA - STILL AN INADEQUATELY ASSESSED AND IMPROPERLY TREATED DISEASE

In this paper we present data on the assessment and treatment of asthm a in a large sample (13,899 subjects) representative of the population of young males living in four districts of the Tuscany region (Italy) . In this group, 404 asthmatics (2.9%) were identified and 365 of the eligible patients were included in the study. A total of 323 asthmatic s (88.5%) reported respiratory symptoms during the preceding year. A t otal of 162 asthmatics (44%) had previously had lung function tests to assess asthma, whereas in 89% of the patients the atopic component of asthma had been previously evaluated by prick tests. Fifty-seven perc ent of the patients in whom bronchial obstruction was observed and 38% of the asthmatics with severe bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BH) were receiving either no medication or treatment with only one drug. The d rugs prescribed most frequently during the preceding year were beta ag onists (56%) as opposed to sodium cromoglycate (22%) and inhaled stero ids (17%); the latter two drugs were included in the therapy of 143 as thmatics (39%) and represented the treatment of choice in 16% of the s ubjects with bronchial obstruction and in 38% of the subjects with sev ere BH. We conclude that in our sample of young asthmatics the pulmona ry function tests and the inhaled anti-inflammatory drugs were insuffi ciently utilized.