BACKGROUND: Adult asthma is a growing global health burden, with limited data from the Asian population. This study investigated the prevalence, management, and associated factors of adult asthma in Taipei, using the standardized Global Asthma Network Phase I methodology. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey in 2017 collected data from 9690 adults randomly selected from the 12 districts of Taipei City. We assessed adults with physician-diagnosed asthma regarding their medication, healthcare, and work impact by gender and asthma severity. Logistic regression examined demographic, clinical, lifestyle, and dietary factors associated with physician-diagnosed asthma. RESULTS: The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 5.4%. 1.9% reported an asthma attack in the past 12 months. Females had higher rates of physician-diagnosed asthma and greater healthcare use than males. Among those with recent asthma attacks, short-acting β2 agonists were the most frequently reported relievers (49.2%), whereas controller therapies, including inhaled corticosteroid-long-acting β2 agonist (21.3%), inhaled corticosteroids (13.7%), and leukotriene receptor antagonists (12.6%), were underused and mostly taken intermittently. Logistic regression indicated asthma was positively associated with female gender, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and frequent potato or cereal intake, but inversely associated with regular fruit intake. Asthma imposed a significant socioeconomic burden, with 2.5% of adults reporting leaving their jobs due to breathing difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: Adult asthma prevalence in Taipei is increasing and associated with allergic comorbidities and lifestyle factors. The underuse of controller therapies and disease's socioeconomic impact highlight the need for tailored interventions and longitudinal studies.
Tsai et al. (Fri,) studied this question.