Leading Patient Advocacy Organizations Join Forces To Launch National Program Aimed At Raising Awareness Of Severe Form Of Asthma

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Allergy & Asthma Network (AAN) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) today announced the launch of Be the Boss of Your Asthma, a national educational program that aims to raise awareness of severe eosinophilic asthma – or S.E.A. – a serious and often hard-to-control form of asthma. As part of the program, people with asthma and caregivers are encouraged to visit www.BeTheBossofYourAsthma.com for access to a variety of resources, including an asthma fact sheet and doctor visit checklist. These tools may help those with asthma better identify the signs and symptoms of S.E.A. and empower them to help in the management of their disease, starting with learning more about S.E.A. and working with their doctor to determine an appropriate treatment plan.

"Nearly nine million adults in the United States have inadequately-controlled asthma despite standard of care treatment.¹ What some asthma patients may not realize is they could be suffering from a more severe form of the disease called S.E.A., which affects about five percent of all adult asthma patients²," said Tonya Winders, President and Chief Executive Officer of AAN. "We're excited to be launching the Be the Boss of Your Asthma program and hope patients who have struggled to appropriately manage their condition visit the website and utilize the numerous resources available. Ultimately, our goal is to encourage patients to talk to their doctor to obtain a proper diagnosis and explore an appropriate asthma management plan."

S.E.A. is a less common, but particularly severe form of asthma marked by elevated eosinophils, a type of disease-fighting white blood cell. Patients with eosinophilic asthma may exhibit poor asthma control and life-threatening asthma attacks.²
"It's critical for people with asthma to know that they should talk to their doctor about symptom control," said Kenneth Mendez, Chief Executive Officer of AAFA. "Some people living with S.E.A. may not know their asthma is severe and uncontrolled. In honor of Asthma Awareness Month, we're proud to launch Be the Boss of Your Asthma in partnership with AAN to help encourage people to be their own advocate when it comes to managing their disease."

Be the Boss of Your Asthma is sponsored by Teva Pharmaceuticals and was shaped by several leading respiratory advocacy organizations in addition to AAN and AAFA, including the Association of Asthma Educators, the Severe Asthma Foundation, American Lung Association and the Global Allergy Asthma Patient Platform.

Dr. Bradley Chipps, M.D. of Capital Allergy & Respiratory Disease Center in Sacramento, CA, says, "As a physician, I'm always looking to direct my patients to resources that are not only educational, but also break down the complexity of conditions such as S.E.A. to help them understand and relate. I am extremely pleased with the Be the Boss of Your Asthma program and believe that patients and their caregivers may benefit from the resources available on the site and begin to have more informative conversations with their physicians about their asthma symptoms."

For more information about Be the Boss of Your Asthma, visit www.BeTheBossofYourAsthma.com.   

About Allergy & Asthma Network
Allergy & Asthma Network is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. Allergy & Asthma Network specializes in sharing family-friendly, medically accurate information through its award-winning Allergy & Asthma Today magazine, E-newsletter, AllergyAsthmaNetwork.org and numerous community outreach programs.

About Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Founded in 1953 and celebrating 65 years of service, AAFA is the oldest and largest non-profit patient organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with asthma, allergies and related conditions through research, education, advocacy and support. AAFA provides practical information and community-based services through its digital communities and national network of local chapters and educational support groups. Through its Kids With Food Allergies division, AAFA offers the most extensive online support communities for families raising children with food allergies. AAFA also helps consumers identify products suitable for those with asthma and allergies through the asthma & allergy friendly^® Certification Program. For more information, visit aafa.org.

Contact: Gary Fitzgerald
Allergy & Asthma Network
703-641-9595
[email protected]

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Uncontrolled asthma among persons living with asthma. http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/asthma_stats/uncontrolled_asthma.htm. Accessed September 8, 2016.
2. De Groot JC, ten Brinke A. Bel EHD. Eur Respir J. Open Research Sep 2015 1(1) 00024-2015; DOI: 10:1183/23120541.00024-2015. Retrieved from http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/1/1/00024-2015

SOURCE Allergy & Asthma Network

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