Control of asthma in real life: still a valuable goal?

TABLE 1

Risk factors for poor asthma control

Factors	References
Disease-related
Comorbidities: gastro-oesophageal reflux, obstructive sleep apnoea, psychiatric disease, allergic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis	[30–34]
Asthma type: aspirin sensitivity, neutrophilic activity, severe therapy resistant	[17]
Exposure to triggers: allergens, smoke, environmental and work-related irritants	[26]
Patient-related
Low patient expectations regarding asthma control	[13, 17]
Poor patient perception of asthma control	[14, 21]
Low socioeconomic status	[17]
Poor adherence to medication	[17]
Incorrect use of inhaled medication	[17, 24]
Physician-related
Absence of specialist care: inability of physicians to recognise poor asthma control, poor knowledge of current guidelines, misdiagnosis of asthma	[15, 17, 18]
Poor doctor–patient communication	[16]
No patient education on the correct use of inhaled medications	[24]
Rare implementation of self-management plans	[17]