Improved quality of life in asthma patients under long‐term therapy: Assessed by AHQ ‐Japan

Summary Background and objectives Assessment of the effects of long‐term management on patient quality of life ( QOL ) would be extremely useful for determining asthma treatment strategies. However, no studies have evaluated QOL over an extended period of time. This study evaluated the changes in QOL , drug management and disease severity in the same asthma patients at an interval of approximately 9 years. Methods We re‐surveyed asthma patients enrolled in a survey conducted in 2004 to evaluate the effects of approximately a decade of treatment on disease severity and QOL assessed by the Japanese Asthma Health Questionnaire ( AHQ ‐ JAPAN ). Results A total of 2179 patients were enrolled in the study from 93 centres, and 1332 patients were included in the per‐protocol analysis. Usage rates of inhaled corticosteroids ( ICS ) for treatment of stable asthma were over 90% at both time points. The AHQ ‐ JAPAN total score improved significantly from 22.2±19.7 in 2004 to 19.7±19.9 in 2013 ( P <.001). Significant improvements were also observed in 5 of 6 subscales of AHQ ‐ JAPAN , with Social Activity constituting the sole exception. Conclusions Asthma severity declined and QOL assessed by AHQ ‐ JAPAN improved, which is considered as a reflection of improved asthma control at least partly attributable to widespread use of anti‐inflammatory drugs as represented by ICS. The study also revealed the presence of those with poor QOL , especially in patients with concomitant respiratory diseases, and an increase in severe persistent asthma cases, warranting further long‐term efforts at improving QOL . Trial registration number: UMIN 000010483.