Asthma treatment adherence, where are we? Argentina´s APPARENT 2 sub-analysis.

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Asthma, a prevalent disease worldwide, poses significant economic, social, and healthcare challenges. Optimal adherence to asthma treatment is essential, especially in countries like Argentina. Suboptimal adherence leads to adverse health outcomes. <bold>Objective:</bold> To assess real-life asthma treatment adherence and management through a survey. <bold>Materials and Methods:</bold> This is a sub-analysis of the Argentine cohort of the Apparent 2 study, an international online survey for physicians and patients from August to November 2021. The focus was on adherence and treatment strategies, categorized as erratic (forgetfulness), intelligent (deliberate choices), and unwitting (unintentional due to lack of understanding). <bold>Results:</bold> The survey included 330 physicians and 216 adult patients. Unwitting Adherence: The lack of correlation between physician and patient beliefs has a substantial impact, leading to misunderstandings in treatment specifics. Despite 86% of patients receiving a written plan, only 65% of doctors followed up on its application. Moreover, 63% of doctors always give a written plan, but only 5% of patients comply fully. Erratic adherence was significant, with 75% of patients stating cost as the main barrier. In Intelligent Adherence, device choice played a crucial role, with a strong preference for aerosol (94%) over dry powder (63%). The presence of a dose counter ranked high in patient preference (90%). Additionally, 78% of physicians estimate adherence based on what the patient reports during the visit. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Multiple factors, including economic barriers and communication gaps between physicians and patients, contribute to the low adherence of asthmatic patients in Argentina.