Better understanding asthma to better treat it
May 5, 2026 is World Asthma Day. Asthma is a very common chronic respiratory disease that can be disabling and sometimes very severe or even fatal. It is estimated that there are at least 350 million people with asthma worldwide, with a mortality rate of approximately 400,000 patients per year according to the latest international guidelines. This mortality is higher in emerging countries, where patients do not always have access to appropriate medications. However, it is not limited to these regions; it also exists in the Western world, where the prevalence of asthma ranges from 5 to 10% of the population depending on the country.
In Belgium, it is estimated that around 700,000 people suffer from asthma, including 3 to 5% with severe asthma, with an estimated mortality of about 160 deaths per year. Although asthma symptoms are generally easy for patients to identify (episodic breathing difficulties, wheezing, etc.), they can sometimes be harder to recognize (e.g., chronic cough without episodes of breathing difficulty, exertional dyspnea attributed to poor physical fitness, etc.). This leads to underdiagnosis and therefore undertreatment of asthma, which represents a significant risk factor for mortality.
For this reason, on the occasion of World Asthma Day, the team from the Asthma and Allergic Diseases Clinic within the Department of Thoracic Pathology at Erasme Hospital, in collaboration with AstraZeneca, is pleased to offer an information and screening day for everyone visiting the hospital that day, including staff members who wish to participate. Our teams will be present at a stand in the hospital lobby to answer questions and offer a screening test consisting of spirometry to detect possible bronchial obstruction and measurement of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) to detect bronchial inflammation—both compatible with the presence of bronchial asthma. Patients with positive or suspicious test results will be referred to the asthma clinic.
Practical information
- When? Tuesday, May 5, 2026, from 09:30 AM to 5:00 PM
- Where? Erasmus Hospital – Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Anderlecht, main hall (ground floor)
- Free and open to all