For people living with severe asthma, persistent symptoms and unpredictable flare-ups can disrupt daily life, affect families and place additional demands on healthcare services.
Ngo Quy Chau, president of the Vietnam Respiratory Society, said an estimated 3.23 per cent of Vietnam's population had asthma, with about 7-11 per cent of those patients experiencing severe asthma.
Although they account for a relatively small proportion of people with asthma, patients with severe disease face recurrent exacerbations, hospital admissions, declining lung function and a substantial impact on quality of life. They also account for more than 70 per cent of total asthma treatment costs, Chau said.
“Raising awareness, recognising the characteristics of the disease early and improving the management of severe asthma remain important priorities for respiratory medicine in Vietnam,” he said.
Understanding inflammation to improve treatment
The latest developments were discussed at a scientific symposium, “Targeting IL-5: a trend in severe asthma treatment”, organised by GSK Vietnam in collaboration with the Vietnam Respiratory Society. The meeting brought together specialists in respiratory medicine and allergy and immunology to discuss the mechanisms underlying severe asthma, the role of type 2 inflammation and current approaches to treatment.
Phan Thu Phuong, deputy head of the department of general internal medicine at Hanoi Medical University and director of the Bach Mai Respiratory Institute at Bach Mai Hospital, said evidence from clinical practice and advances in scientific understanding had helped refine approaches to treating severe asthma.
“Over the past decade, many countries have accumulated important real-world experience in using targeted treatments for appropriate patients with severe asthma,” Phuong said.
Assocociate Professor Phan Thu Phuong shares clinical experience in applying targeted treatments for suitable patients with severe asthma
She highlighted type 2 inflammation and interleukin-5 (IL-5), a signalling protein involved in eosinophilic inflammation, as important areas of research. A better understanding of the biological mechanisms involved can help doctors identify disease phenotypes and select treatments suited to individual patients, she said.
Le Thuong Vu, head of the respiratory department at the University Medical Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, said advances in understanding asthma were supporting a more personalised approach to care.
Associate Professor Le Thuong Vu provides updates on personalised approaches for patients with severe asthma
Alongside symptom control and the prevention of exacerbations, doctors were increasingly focused on improving quality of life and achieving longer-term treatment goals, she said.
Biologic medicines target specific pathways involved in inflammation. For some patients with severe asthma, these treatments can reduce exacerbations and reliance on oral corticosteroids, improve physical and social functioning and help move treatment towards remission, Vu said.
Supporting scientific exchange
Pham Thi My Lien, president of GSK Vietnam, said continued research and collaboration with healthcare professionals were important to improving outcomes for people with respiratory diseases.
“Scientific advances can help create positive change for patients,” Lien said, adding that respiratory medicine had been a research priority for GSK for decades.
She said the company would continue working with the medical community to support scientific exchange and improve access to appropriate medical advances in Vietnam.
The symposium highlighted the growing role of personalised treatment in severe asthma care, as researchers and clinicians seek to better match therapies to patients' underlying disease mechanisms and reduce the burden of a condition that can have substantial effects on daily life.