Visual Analog Scale as a Predictor of GINA-Defined Asthma Control. The SACRA Study in Japan

Objective. The assessment of asthma control is pivotal to treatment decisions. A questionnaire that assesses the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)-defined control requires four questions. A visual analog scale (VAS) to evaluate asthma control can be simply marked, but its correlation with GINA-defined control has been insufficiently evaluated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether VAS levels can predict GINA-defined asthma control with particular emphasis on the distinctions between “partly controlled” and “uncontrolled” and between “partly controlled” and “controlled” asthma, Methods. A cross-sectional multicenter study was carried out throughout Japan (SACRA) from March to August 2009 among patients with a diagnosis and treatment of asthma. Asthma control was studied using the GINA questionnaire and a VAS measurement of asthma severity. Pulmonary function testing was not carried out, Results. 1910 physicians enrolled 29,518 patients with asthma. 15,051 (51.0%) questionnaires were administer...