Asthma (01 Jul 2024)

This week Dr Ben Warner interviews Professor Tom Fardon on the topic of asthma. Through a case study, Prof Fardon discusses how to assess and treat a severe exacerbation of asthma and what needs to be considered when discharging patients. Tom and Ben also discuss diagnosing asthma and the treatments available to patients.

Professor Fardon is a Consultant Respiratory Physician at NHS Tayside and Honorary Professor at the University of Dundee. They are also Clinical Lead for the Scottish Government's Respiratory Specialty Delivery Group.

Dr Ben Warner is a Respiratory Medicine Specialty Registrar with clinical and academic experience of global public health. He is currently undertaking a PhD in multimorbidity in Malawi as part of the Wellcome-funded Multimorbidity PhD Programme for Health Professionals with the University of Glasgow.

Useful links

Current NICE guideline on Asthma: Diagnosis, monitoring and chronic asthma management (NG80)

Current BTS/SIGN British Guideline on the Management of Asthma

Upcoming British guideline on the management of asthma (BTS/SIGN/NICE)

BTS Clinical Statement on the medical management of inpatients with tobacco dependency, doi: 10.1136/thorax-2023-220607

Treatable traits approach in asthma [PDF]

Environmental impact of inhalers toolkit produced by ‘Greener Practice'

Greener Practice guide on reducing the carbon footprint of inhalers

National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD)

British Thoracic Society asthma attack care bundle

Asthma exacerbations and sputum eosinophil counts: a randomised controlled trial, doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)11679-5

Clinical remission in severe asthma with biologic therapy: an analysis from the UK Severe Asthma Registry, doi: 10.1183/13993003.00819-2023