Adult asthma: The problem of access to disease-modifying therapy in the context of resource-limited countries

Objectives Asthma is a major public health issue in many countries, not only due to its frequency and impact on patient’s quality of life but also due to the medical and economic consequences of inadequate control of the disease. This study aimed to highlight the difficulties limiting access to basic asthma treatment. Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional study lasting 6 months, from July 2023 to December 2023, involving 301 asthma patients aged 18 and over admitted to the Pneumo-Phtisiology Department of the Ignace Deen National Hospital in Conakry who agreed to take part in the study. Results A total of 301 cases of asthma were recorded out of a total of 2186 patients, a frequency of 13.77%. We found that 226 (75.1%) of our patients had been started on treatment (crisis and background). Among the obstacles to initiating background treatment, the majority 30 (30.67%) pointed to a lack of prescription, 12 (12%) to negligence, 12 (12%) to the high cost of medication, and 8 (10.67%) to the influence of beliefs and/or people on taking medication. In our study, we found that residence ( P = 0.020), intolerance to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( P = 0.000), prescription of a background treatment ( P = 0.000), mastery of the technique of taking medication ( P = 0.000), and poor compliance with treatment ( P = 0.000) influenced the level of control of the disease. Conclusion Our study shows that asthma control is still a major challenge for healthcare staff, with many patients on treatment reporting difficulties, mostly financial, limiting access to medication.