GSK raises awareness, supports patients on World Asthma Day

GSK is supporting World Asthma Day, to be held on Tuesday, 6 May, 2014, to raise awareness of the condition. This year’s theme is ‘You Can Control Your Asthma’.

Affecting 300 million people across the world, asthma causes 180,000 deaths each year. According to the latest European Health Interview Survey, the disease affects 9% of the Maltese population. It cannot be cured, but when asthma is controlled people can avoid troublesome symptoms, with little or no reliever medication and lead productive, physically active lives with near normal lung function.

A patient’s level of asthma control is often used to determine which asthma treatment is required and is a concept which was informed by the GSK GOAL study (Gaining Optimal Asthma ControL) which raised treatment expectations realistically by suggesting that asthma control could be achieved and maintained.  Unfortunately research suggests that despite the availability of treatments, more than half of asthma patients have poor control over their condition.

GSK has been supporting patients to achieve asthma control for over 40 years through research and medicines and contributed to the development of the Asthma Control Test, a simple test to help people assess their level of asthma control. The test provides a useful score which helps patients and doctors determine the level of treatment required and is available free of charge at www.asthmacontroltest.com

On Tuesday 6 May 2014, as part of World Asthma Day, the Maltese Asthmatic Society (SAM) is addressing the latest medical advice on asthma during a conference which is being held free of charge for the public at the Phoenicia Hotel, Floriana. The conference speakers include the Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr Chris Fearne, Shadow Minister for Health Claudio Grech, Director of the Health and Disease Prevention Directorate Dr Charmaine Gauci and health specialists Dr Etienne Grech and Dr Martin Balzan.

More information about asthma, World Asthma Day and proper asthma management is also available on the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) website www.ginasthma.org

Support for the preparation of this article was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies