Urges People With Asthma To Know Their Asthma Score

Asthma Control Test(TM) (ACT). The ACT is an asthma assessment tool, available in Spanish and English, which can help doctors assess the patient's level of symptom control.

Mary Joe has asthma, but refuses to let it slow her down. She wants other people with asthma to know that they can live a full and active life with an effective asthma management plan. Throughout her childhood and her teenage years, Mary Joe suffered from what she thought was chronic bronchitis. It wasn't until she was 20 years old, at the height of her tennis career, that a doctor correctly diagnosed her as having asthma.

"For a long time, I lived with undiagnosed and uncontrolled asthma, which left me vulnerable to frequent symptoms and attacks," says Mary Joe. "Looking back, that was a very frightening time. Now, I have an asthma management plan that works for me and I visit my doctor regularly to ensure my asthma stays under control."


ACT FOR YOUR ASTHMA

The ACT is a five-item questionnaire, available in both English and Spanish, which gives physicians and patients a simple yet highly predictive tool they can use to help assess asthma control. Answers to the ACT provide asthma patients a score that may help them and their doctor determine if their current treatment plan is working. The total ACT score is based on a range of 5 to 25. A score of 19 or less may be an indication that asthma symptoms are not under control. If a patient scores 19 or less, they should make an appointment with their doctor to discuss their ACT results and ensure they are properly controlling their asthma symptoms. Even if patients score a 20 or more they should talk with their doctor about their results to help improve their asthma dialogue.