Our Severe Asthma Project aims to identify barriers and potential enablers to better care, treatment (including accessibility), and welfare supports for people with asthma. We are currently looking for people with diagnosed and undiagnosed severe asthma to participate in an online survey and focus group.
The purpose of the survey is to document the challenges facing those with severe asthma and the solutions that should be addressed at policy and clinical level. The results will feed into a deeper focus group discussion with severe asthma carers and patients.
Complete the survey (Deadline: 30 August)
The focus group session will take place in early September and aims to explore key challenges experienced by people with severe asthma (or suspected severe asthma). The findings, which will be anonymised, will inform an Asthma Society report calling for government action to enhance severe asthma diagnosis, care and treatment in Ireland. We invite adults and parents/carers of children with severe or difficult-to-control asthma (as detailed below) to join us. The virtual focus group discussion will take place on Thursday 5 or Friday 6 September, from 1 – 2:30 pm via Microsoft Teams.
Sign up to join the focus group (Deadline: 30 August)
What is severe asthma?
Severe asthma is defined as asthma that requires treatment with high-dose inhaled corticosteroids plus a second controller and/or systemic corticosteroids to prevent it from becoming ‘uncontrolled’, or that remains ‘uncontrolled’ despite this therapy.
Patients with severe asthma are usually under the care of specialist centres and may be on long-term injection (“biological”) therapy.
Experts consider severe asthma to be present in any of the following four cases:
You are prescribed a long-term injection treatment for your asthma, often referred to as biologicals.
Biological treatments include: “Cinqaero” (reslizumab), "Dupixent" (dupilumab), “Fasenra” (benralizumab), “Nucala” (mepolizumab) or “Xolair” (omalizumab)
OR
You have ever ended up in intensive care with your asthma
OR
You had to stay overnight in an Emergency Department or were admitted to hospital with asthma in the past 12 months
OR
You are prescribed any of the medications listed here (to prevent your asthma from becoming ‘uncontrolled’ or that remains ‘uncontrolled’ despite this therapy).
