Treatment outcome of asthma after one year follow-up in health centres of several developing countries.

Setting: Seven selected out-patient clinics caring for asthma patients in Algeria, Guinea, Morocco, Syria, Turkey and Vietnam.

Design: Evaluation of treatment outcomes after one year of follow-up of a cohort of asthma patients consecutively enrolled in a prospective study evaluating routine practice.

Results: Among 310 asthma patients registered, the following outcomes were recorded after one year of follow-up: 95 (31%) successful, 61 (20%) under control, 35 (11%) failed, 116 (37%) defaulted and 3 (1%) transferred. Among the 167 (53.9%) patients still on treatment after one year there was a substantial increase in the proportion of patients classified as intermittent at the end of treatment (from 11% to 53%), with a decrease in all categories of persistent asthma (from 34% to 12% for mild, 45% to 28% for moderate and 10% to 8% for severe asthma).

Conclusions: While patients' quality of life can be improved if they follow regular treatment, the key challenge in providing care is to ensure that patients adhere to their treatment.