Introduction

DR. SOPHOCLES: Welcome. I am Aris Sophocles, a clinical professor in the Department of Family

Medicine at the University of Colorado, and for more than thirty years, a practitioner of family medicine.

The topic of this CME program, Asthma Management, is a growing area of concern in primary care.

According to expert sources, the prevalence of asthma is increasing at a faster rate of any other chronic disease in the United States. It is one of the top three causes of preventable hospitalizations, and the annual financial costs associated with the disease are in excess of 14 billion dollars. It is extremely important that physicians remain up to date on the latest asthma treatment and management guidelines and possess the most effective patient education tools.

Dr. Linda Cox, our faculty for this program, is eminently qualified to provide this information. In
addition to being a widely published researcher and educator, she is a practicing physician in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Dr. Cox is also on the board of directors of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and an AAAAI representative of the joint taskforce on practice parameters of the ACAAI, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Dr. Cox’s discussion will provide an in-depth overview of the recently updated NHLBI asthma
guidelines, resources for patient education, and how to handle non-compliant patients.