Two-thirds of adults report that their disease is under control, according to WebMD. However, more than half experience asthma symptoms at least once a week.

Even more telling, one in three adults say they use a rescue inhaler at least once a day. Guidelines warn against using an inhaler more than twice a week.

‘Using a rescue medication regularly is a sign that asthma is not properly controlled and you may be ailing from the disease unnecessarily,’ says William E. Berger, MD, of the University of California, Irvine. ‘Patients should talk to their doctor to evaluate their treatment regimen and find out if maintenance therapies are right for them.’

Mike Tringale of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) points out, ‘There is a large disconnect between what asthma patients are saying and how they are actually affected by their asthma every day, which calls for better education on how to properly control the disease.’

Learn more about asthma with the Asthma Solution Guide.