NFL Football Star Jerome Bettis Teams Up With The American Lung Association to Bring Asthma Education to His Hometown

DETROIT, April 29 /PRNewswire/ — Jerome “The Bus” Bettis, running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and asthma patient for nearly 20 years, will participate in a press conference in Detroit, on April 29 at the C.H. Wright African American Museum at 10:30 a.m. to underscore the need for improved asthma control in Detroit — his hometown.

The press event is being hosted by the American Lung Association of Michigan and will announce the kick off of the Know Your Asthma Score and Expect More campaign in the local Detroit community. As part of the campaign, Bettis is working to raise awareness about the need for improved asthma control and motivate asthma patients to take a simple, five-question quiz called the Asthma Control Test(TM) (ACT) supported by the American Lung Association. The ACT is an objective assessment tool that can help people twelve years of age and older with asthma assess the frequency of their symptoms and give them information to discuss with their healthcare professional. Bettis will also unveil a display that can be found throughout the Detroit community, offering a free brochure featuring the ACT.

“I’ve experienced first-hand the consequences of uncontrolled asthma,” said Jerome Bettis, fifth all-time leading rusher in the National Football League (NFL). “Controlling symptoms allows you to stay active and do more of the things you want to do, which for me is playing football.”

Other speakers include Carol Christner, Director of Programs and Advocacy for the American Lung Association of Michigan and other community leaders committed to improving asthma control including Noble Maseru, PhD, MPH Director, and Health Officer for the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion (DHWP), Dr. Alvin Bowles, a leading pulmonologist with Henry Ford Hospital, and Joyce Keith Hargrove, PhD, Administrator, DHWP Center for Asthma Education, Management and Policy, and Chair of the Detroit Alliance for Asthma Awareness. Each will address the burden of asthma in Detroit, and steps being taken to manage the disease.

“The American Lung Association of Michigan is committed to encouraging people with asthma to take the Asthma Control Test,” said Carol Christner. “Asthma affects the daily lives of more than 87,000 people in the Detroit area, and this test is an easy first step towards better asthma control.”

Asthma is a chronic condition affecting approximately 20 million Americans. If left uncontrolled, asthma can lead to a range of consequences, including frequent symptoms, missed work, urgent care visits, hospitalization and even life-threatening asthma attacks. More than half of Michigan adults with asthma had an attack in the past year, and there were more than 46,000 hospitalizations attributed to asthma in Michigan between 1999 and 2001.

“With ongoing assessment and effective treatment, asthma symptoms can be reduced, resulting in fewer attacks and emergency room visits,” said Dr. Alvin Bowles, a leading pulmonologist with Henry Ford Hospital. “Reduced symptoms also mean fewer missed work or school days, and the ability to more fully participate in leisure activities — all goals of optimal asthma control according to established treatment guidelines.”

In addition to its support of the Know Your Asthma Score campaign, the Detroit Alliance for Asthma Awareness, a program of the Detroit Health Department, is launching the first comprehensive asthma program in Detroit, which will educate residents on effective asthma management and implement asthma interventions in communities and schools, and for uninsured residents with asthma.

“Asthma is a major problem in the Detroit area,” said Dr. Noble Maseru, Director and Health Officer of the Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion. “We are committed to improving asthma control in Detroit by addressing it directly through this city-wide program and supporting educational efforts for people with asthma, their families and the at-risk population. People with asthma need to know asthma is a manageable disease and that there are resources available, like the Asthma Control Test, to help them take steps toward getting symptoms under control and improving their quality of life.”

KNOW YOUR ASTHMA SCORE AND EXPECT MORE

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 as controlled as they could be. 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 airway constriction and inflammation, the two main causes of 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.

The American Lung Association supports the ACT and recommends that everyone 12 and older with asthma take the test. Asthma is a chronic lung disease where both inflammation and bronchoconstriction cause the airways to narrow, leading to symptoms that include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. Though there is no cure, asthma can be a highly controllable disease when patients take the appropriate steps toward symptom prevention and daily long-term management.

A free copy of the ACT is available by calling toll free 1-800-990-4100 or visiting online at http://www.asthmacontrol.com/.

ABOUT THE ASTHMA CONTROL TEST

The ACT is a five-item questionnaire which gives physicians and patients a simple yet highly predictive tool they can use to help assess asthma control. In a validation study, the ACT was administered to more than 471 asthma patients during routine office visits with asthma specialists. After completing the questionnaire, patients took a lung function test (spirometry) to measure pre-bronchodilator FEV(1) (forced expiratory volume in one second), and asthma specialists — who were blinded to patients’ ACT results — examined the patients. Specialists then offered a global assessment of patients’ asthma control, assigning a rating using a five-point scale. Each patient’s ACT results were then compared with their spirometry results and the specialist’s global assessment, which was categorized as either “controlled” or “not controlled.” The ACT correctly classified a patient’s level of asthma control in three out of four cases (76.5 percent).

ABOUT THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

For 100 years, the American Lung Association has been the lead organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to http://www.lungusa.org/.

The American Lung Association and GlaxoSmithKline are working together on the Know Your Asthma Score & Expect More campaign to promote asthma awareness. GlaxoSmithKline is a research-based pharmaceutical company and a world leader in respiratory care.

Asthma Control Test is a trademark of QualityMetric Incorporated.

National statistics are based on 2002 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The American Lung Association

CONTACT: Christie Cunningham of Cohn & Wolfe, +1-212-798-9838, for TheAmerican Lung Association

Web site: http://www.lungusa.org/http://www.asthmacontrol.com/