Two-thirds of patients with uncontrolled asthma think their disease is well under control. Asthmatics on proper medicines can not only live a normal life but also reduce their future complications.

Uncontrolled asthmatics invariably end up with right heart complications due to persistent lack of oxygenation in the blood.

Dr. Eric van Ganse, of University of Lyon, France, in a study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, examined 1,048 subjects with inadequate asthma control. When asked how they would rate their asthma control over the past 14 days, over 69% considered themselves to be completely or well controlled. Failure to perceive inadequate asthma control was more likely to be found in patients between the ages of 41 and 50 years.

The reasons are:

• Most asthmatics fail to perceive their level of disease control and with an uncontrolled state they often feel that their asthma is under control.
• In severe asthma, low blood oxygen levels might impair a person’s ability to assess their own breathing difficulty.
• The notion of asthma control seems poorly understood by asthmatic patients.

Mild to moderate asthma limits the activities of a person and they, over a period of time, take that as their normal limits.