Asthma in the UK

Asthma is a common, inflammatory condition of the airways, affecting approximately 10% of adults in the UK. Around 160,000 people a year receive an asthma diagnosis. This is more than are diagnosed with any other lung condition. Approximately half of those affected have relatively mild asthma but, despite being described as “mild”, these patients experience unnecessary morbidity and avoidable mortality. Many patients within the mild asthma category have poor asthma control and up to 15% have a severe asthma attack each year.

As asthma causes airway inflammation, treatment with regular inhaled steroids is important. Usually, mild asthmatics require a reliever (blue) inhaler for symptom relief as and when required, with or without low-dose-inhaled steroid treatment (usually a brown inhaler) for maintenance. Blue inhalers provide symptom relief but cannot help the underlying inflammation. Data shows that many asthmatics prescribed with a preventer (brown) inhaler do not use it consistently or correctly, which leads to an increase on reliance on the blue inhalers; this is associated with an increase in asthma exacerbations and poorer outcomes. The Global Initiative for Asthma, in 2019, recommended the replacement of blue inhalers with a combination inhaler (which also includes the steroids found in brown inhalers).

The RELIEF trial is looking at whether such a combined inhaler is better for treating mild asthma symptoms than a blue inhaler. The aim is to see whether use of this combined inhaler might lead to fewer asthma exacerbations for participants. 

Qualitative (Interview) Study

Alongside the main trial, there will be a qualitative sub-study, in which a small selection of around 60 recruited participants will be interviewed. There will also be some interviews with healthcare professionals within Primary Care e.g. GPs and asthma nurse specialists. The aim of these interviews is to explore, in-depth, patient and healthcare professional experiences, education, and understanding of their asthma treatment/management and their experiences of the treatment regimen they have been randomised to in the RELIEF trial. This will help guide future studies and research in asthma.