Background: Systematic follow-up studies on long-term asthma management in primary health care (PHC) are still lacking.

Aims and objectives: To examine how comorbidities, lifestyle factors and asthma management details including inhalation technique and medication data are screened and documented in scheduled asthma contacts during long-term follow-up in PHC. 

Methods: Patients with new adult-onset asthma (n=203) were followed for 12 years as a real-life asthma cohort of the Seinäjoki Adult Asthma Study (SAAS). Smokers and patients with comorbidities were not excluded.

Results: A total of 145 patients had scheduled asthma contacts (n=542) in PHC. Rhinitis was most often documented comorbidity, but still only in 8.9% of contacts while information on BMI, overweight or obesity was registered in ?1.5% of contacts. Lifestyle factors such as exercise habits, diet and alcohol use were also poorly recorded. Nasal symptoms were registered in 15.5% of contacts. Out of the 145 patients, 6.9% had undergone revision of inhalation technique and 16.6% had documentation of asthma action plan during 12-year follow-up. The most often recorded asthma details were respiratory symptoms (79%), asthma medication brand names (70%), and recommendation for the timing for the next follow-up contact (62.5%).

Conclusions: The systematic assessment of asthma should be further improved in scheduled asthma contacts. Screening and treating of comorbidities together with reviewing of asthma inhaler technique and patient guidance are central areas in need of improvement in PHC.