The Korean Severe Asthma Registry (KoSAR): real world research in severe asthma

• Published in: The Korean journal of internal medicine Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 249 - 260
• Main Authors: Kim, Sang-Heon, Lee, Hyun, Park, So-Young, Park, So Young, Song, Woo-Jung, Kim, Joo-Hee, Park, Heung-Woo, Cho, You Sook, Yoon, Ho Joo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Association of Internal Medicine 01.03.2022; The Korean Association of Internal Medicine; 대한내과학회
• Subjects: Asthma - diagnosis; Asthma - drug therapy; Asthma - epidemiology; biological products; Humans; real world; Registries; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Review; severe asthma; 내과학; Republic of Korea; Registries; Biological products; Severe asthma; Real world
• ISSN: 1226-3303; 2005-6648
• DOI: 10.3904/kjim.2021.403

Severe asthma constitutes a serious health burden with significant morbidity and socioeconomic costs. The development and introduction of new biologics targeting type 2 inflammation changed the paradigm for management of severe asthma and initiated a biological era. These changes impose a challenge to clinicians in managing difficult-to-treat and severe asthma. To understand the characteristics and heterogeneity of severe asthma and to develop a better strategy to manage it, the Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Working Group on Severe Asthma, has organized the Korean Severe Asthma Registry (KoSAR). In this review, we describe the challenges of severe asthma management regarding diagnosis, disease burden, heterogeneity, guidelines, and organization of severe asthma clinics. This review also examines the current global activities of national and regional registries and study groups. In addition, we present the KoSAR vision and organization and describe the findings of KoSAR in comparison with those of other countries.