Examples of local asthma guidelines and their modifications in contrast to GINA changes, if any
Guidelines | Country | Latest update | Measure of asthma severity | Implemented new GINA changes | Presence of the preferred track | Start with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/formoterol as needed PRN for mild intermittent asthma | Short-acting β2-agonists (SABA) alone as an option in mild intermittent asthma | Maintenance-and-reliever therapy (MART) as an option in any step | ICS for mild persistent asthma |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GINA [1] | Global | 2022 | Symptoms | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Alternative option |
BTS/SIGN [4] | UK | 2019 | Symptoms plus exacerbation history in the past 2 years | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Preferred |
Saudi Initiative for Asthma (SINA) [6] | Saudi Arabia | 2021 | Asthma Control Test (ACT) | Yes | No (although ICS to be given when SABA is used as needed is considered as an alternative option) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Ministry of Health Asthma Pocket Guide for health care professionals [21] | Saudi Arabia | 2020 | ACT symptoms | Yes | No, but clear recommendation to use ICS/formoterol as the first choice and alternative use of ICS whenever SABA used | Yes | No | Yes | No (use ICS/formoterol) |
Manejo Integral del Asma (MIA), Comprehensive Asthma Management Guidelines for Mexico [7] | Mexico | 2021 | Symptoms plus exacerbation and hospitalization | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Spanish Asthma Management Guidelines (GEMA) [9] | Spain, Portugal, and Latin America | 2022 | Symptoms and exacerbation | Partial | No | Yes | Yes | Not specifically | Preferred |
Japanese guidelines for adult asthma [8] | Japan | 2020 | Symptoms and frequent exacerbation for severe persistent only | No | No | No | No (low dose ICS to be used regularly) | No | Preferred |
Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) [10] | Canada | 2021 | Symptoms, exacerbation, and inflammatory markers | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Preferred |
Qatar National Clinical Guidelines [5] | Qatar | 2019 | Symptoms | No | No | No (low dose ICS) | No | Yes | Preferred |
Abu Dhabi Department of Health guidelines [2] | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) | 2018 | Symptoms | No | No | No | Yes | Yes, for steps 3 and 4 | Low dose ICS |
Dubai Department of Health guidelines [3] | Dubai, UAE | 2018 | Symptoms | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Low dose ICS |
N/A: not applicable