Gender differences in asthma inhaler compliance

Physicians routinely prescribe short-acting inhalers for asthmatic patients and also strive to help patients understand the necessity of carrying their inhalers at all times as a measure against asthmatic episodes. However, the actual rate of compliance among patients remains unclear. In order to gain a better understanding of adult inhaler compliance, this study utilized a questionnaire in which asthmatic patients in an allergy practice answered questions pertaining to their inhaler usage. For instance, while some queries addressed the patient's age and gender, others asked about the inhaler carrying rate, and severity of asthma. As a result of the study and subsequent statistical analysis, a few interesting findings were concluded: women were much more likely to carry an inhaler with them than men (61% vs 30%, P < 0.0001), the severity of asthma directly correlated to an increase in patient inhaler compliance, and a large percentage of patients indicated that they did not feel the need to carry their inhalers even though their physician had specified otherwise. The results of this study bear implications for patient education regarding inhaler usage and can serve to guide manufacturers in the development of better delivery systems for short-acting bronchodilators.