Clinical characteristics and disease burden of severe asthma in China: a cross-sectional analysis from the National Alliance network of Severe Asthma (NASA) registry

Severe asthma is associated with persistent symptoms, frequent exacerbations, and substantial healthcare utilization. However, real-world data describing the clinical characteristics and disease burden of severe asthma in China remain limited. The National Alliance network of Severe Asthma (NASA) is a prospective, nationwide, non-interventional registry across 52 tertiary hospitals in China. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data including demographic characteristics, symptom patterns, asthma control, exacerbation history, lung function, and type 2 (T2) inflammatory biomarkers. Cough burden was evaluated by the cough severity visual analog scale (VAS), Cough Evaluation Test (CET), and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ). A total of 614 adult patients with severe asthma were included, with a median age of 54.50 years, a median disease duration of 8.37 years, and 49.5% women. Among different symptom dimensions, wheezing and cough were consistently the two most common symptoms, and cough was reported as a predominant symptom in 62.2% of patients. The proportions meeting the severe cough criterion were 16.4% (VAS), 19.2% (CET), and 30.4% (LCQ), respectively; 33.3% met the composite definition of severe cough burden. At least two exacerbations in the previous 12 months were reported by 49.7% of patients. Lung function was markedly impaired, with a median FEV₁ % predicted of 57.9%. Among patients with available biomarker data, blood eosinophils > 0.15 × 10⁹/L were observed in 60.4% and FeNO ≥ 25 ppb in 73.7%. In this cohort, patients with severe asthma in China showed a substantial disease burden, including prominent cough symptoms, frequent exacerbations, and impaired lung function. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive symptom assessment, particularly of cough, in severe asthma. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2500111740, registered on 2025–11-05. Retrospectively registered.

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Journal
BMC Pulmonary Medicine
Published
2026-09-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-026-04670-9
Primary Topic
Asthma and respiratory diseases
Type
article
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article

Clinical characteristics and disease burden of severe asthma in China: a cross-sectional analysis from the National Alliance network of Severe Asthma (NASA) registry

Xuefeng Yuan, Mao Huang, 谢佳星, Jianxin Sun et al.
BMC Pulmonary Medicine
Asthma and respiratory diseases
article

Clinical characteristics and disease burden of severe asthma in China: a cross-sectional analysis from the National Alliance network of Severe Asthma (NASA) registry

Xuefeng Yuan, Mao Huang, 谢佳星, Jianxin Sun, Jiulong Kuang, 邱忠民, 时国朝, Guocui Zhen, 廖秀清, 陈愉生, Deng Jing-min, Chong Bai, Shaoxi Cai, 孔灵菲, Fang Yi, Xiaohong Yang, Wen Li, Feng Wu, Liang Dong, Wei Xiao, Shan Zeng, Qingdi Xia, Shen Huahao, Xiujuan Geng, Jian Wu, 胡成平, Huaping Tang, Jianying Zhou, Hong Dai, Ruchong Chen, Chen Qiu, Liang Chen, Kefang Lai, Manxiang Li, Yunhui Zhang, Meiling Jin, Suyun Li, Kewu Huang, Jianyong Zhang, Nanshan Zhong, Ying Lin, Chunhua Wei, NASA Study Group, Meihua Chen, Zhe Cheng, Gang Wang, Najia Li, Xingxiang Xu, Xianwei Ye, Wei Tan, Jin Zhang, Ping Chen
article en

Abstract

Severe asthma is associated with persistent symptoms, frequent exacerbations, and substantial healthcare utilization. However, real-world data describing the clinical characteristics and disease burden of severe asthma in China remain limited. The National Alliance network of Severe Asthma (NASA) is a prospective, nationwide, non-interventional registry across 52 tertiary hospitals in China. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data including demographic characteristics, symptom patterns, asthma control, exacerbation history, lung function, and type 2 (T2) inflammatory biomarkers. Cough burden was evaluated by the cough severity visual analog scale (VAS), Cough Evaluation Test (CET), and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ). A total of 614 adult patients with severe asthma were included, with a median age of 54.50 years, a median disease duration of 8.37 years, and 49.5% women. Among different symptom dimensions, wheezing and cough were consistently the two most common symptoms, and cough was reported as a predominant symptom in 62.2% of patients. The proportions meeting the severe cough criterion were 16.4% (VAS), 19.2% (CET), and 30.4% (LCQ), respectively; 33.3% met the composite definition of severe cough burden. At least two exacerbations in the previous 12 months were reported by 49.7% of patients. Lung function was markedly impaired, with a median FEV₁ % predicted of 57.9%. Among patients with available biomarker data, blood eosinophils > 0.15 × 10⁹/L were observed in 60.4% and FeNO ≥ 25 ppb in 73.7%. In this cohort, patients with severe asthma in China showed a substantial disease burden, including prominent cough symptoms, frequent exacerbations, and impaired lung function. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive symptom assessment, particularly of cough, in severe asthma. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2500111740, registered on 2025–11-05. Retrospectively registered.

BMC Pulmonary Medicine
Qingdao University (CN), Tongji University (CN), Fujian Medical University (CN), Guangxi Medical University (CN), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN), Fudan University (CN), Ruijin Hospital (CN), Yuhuangding Hospital (CN), Southern University of Science and Technology (CN), First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (CN), Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University (CN), Daqing Oilfield General Hospital (CN), First People's Hospital of Foshan (CN), Weifang People's Hospital (CN), First Affiliated Hospital of GuangXi Medical University (CN), Zhongshan Hospital (CN), General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region (CN), Fujian Provincial Hospital (CN), Southern Medical University Shenzhen Hospital (CN), Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences (CN), Xiamen Chang Gung Hospital (CN), The First People's Hospital of Zhaoqing (CN), Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (CN), Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (CN), Southern Medical University (CN), Guangzhou Medical University (CN)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Asthma and respiratory diseases
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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