Modelling asthma treatment trajectories using the parametric g-formula | CLEP

IntroductionAsthma is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of the lower airways. It expresses itself by recurring exacerbations and symptoms like bronchospasms, dyspnea, mucus hypersecretion, cough, wheezing, and/or tightness of the chest.1,2 Comorbidities can aggravate asthma, influencing treatment needed to control symptoms or leading to under- or overtreatment when mimicking asthma-like symptoms.3 For example, features similar to asthma can also occur due to certain medications (eg, aspirin or beta blockers) or due to dysfunctional breathing caused by, eg, cardiovascular disease (CVD) or anxiety, and upper airway inflammation can be influenced by other systemic inflammatory disorders, eg, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, or Graves’ disease.2 The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) acknowledges the increased risk of multimorbidity in worsening asthma control, even if only a few asthma symptoms are present, and has developed a stepwise approach for the management of...