USERS OF ANTIASTHMA DRUGS IN ICELAND - A DRUG UTILIZATION STUDY

There has been an increasing consensus worldwide on how to treat asthm a, and, simultaneously, an increase in the sales of antiasthma drugs, However, little is known about actual drug use, dosage, combinations o f drugs, etc., or about the clinical characteristics of patients using these drugs. All individuals with prescriptions for antiasthma drugs, who came to Icelandic pharmacies during March 1994, were invited to p articipate. By means of questionnaires, the pharmacists recorded the a ge and gender of the patient, the speciality of the prescribing doctor , as well. as the name of the drug, total amount prescribed, and dosag e. The patients were asked to answer another questionnaire on their cl inical diagnosis, usage of other antiasthma drugs, etc. The pharmacist s registered 2,026 individuals, with 2,687 prescriptions: 1,574 far be ta(2)-agonists, 838 for inhaled corticosteroids, 208 for theophylline, 48 for anticholinergic drugs, and 19 for cromoglycates, One thousand, three hundred and fifty one patients answered the questionnaires, The majority (67%) claimed to have asthma, 18% chronic bronchitis, 11% em physema and 5% other diseases or symptoms. Among those aged greater th an or equal to 16 yrs with asthma, 93% used beta(2)-agonists, 62% inha led corticosteroids, 19% theophylline, and very few used other drugs. The most commonly used combination (57%) was beta(2)-agonists with inh aled corti-costeroids. Thirty one per cent used beta(2)-agonists as mo notherapy, and 5% used only inhaled corticosteroids, Theophylline was used mainly in combination with beta(2)-agonists and inhaled corticost eroids. In conclusion, our data suggest that two thirds of antiasthma drug users have asthma and that most are treated according to present guidelines. The use of inhaled corticosteroids, however, seems somewha t less than optimal.