Global asthma guidelines update

300 million people worldwide are estimated to suffer from asthma. The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) has updated its guideline, Global strategy for asthma management and prevention.   The authors acknowledge that the cost to control asthma seems high, but the cost of not treating it correctly is even higher.

The factors influencing a person's risk of developing asthma can be divided into genetic host factors and environmental factors, and the clinical spectrum of asthma is highly variable.  Key recommendations from the guidelines include:

• The development of patient and doctor partnerships
• The identification and reduction of exposure to risk factors
• Effective assessment, treatment and monitoring of the condition according to the best evidence