ABSTRACT
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the United Kingdom, with 5.2 million people suffering from asthma. It is recognised that asthma can begin at any age, and the prevalence in those over aged 70 or over is estimated to be 6.5%. Asthma is included in the Quality and Outcomes Framework for the following reasons: Asthma responds very well to appropriate medication and can be managed in a primary care setting; Obesity is associated with asthma, although the cause-effect relationship, if one exists, is still obscure. The impact of an asthma attack influences choice of holiday destinations and also leisure activities. The diagnosis of asthma is a clinical one. Smoking cessation is an important part of asthma management and it is justifiable for the contract targets to include recording of smoking status. High-risk patients should be flagged up electronically so that the asthma review can be done opportunistically.
