What is a key factor to monitor when determining the need for a step up in therapy?

Monitoring the history of exacerbations is a key factor in determining whether there is a need to step up therapy for conditions like asthma or COPD. Frequent exacerbations often indicate that the current treatment regimen is not adequately controlling the patient's symptoms or the underlying inflammatory processes.

Assessing the history of exacerbations allows healthcare providers to evaluate the effectiveness of the current therapy and make necessary adjustments. If a patient experiences an increased frequency or severity of exacerbations, this suggests that their condition is worsening and may require a more aggressive treatment approach, such as higher-dose inhaled corticosteroids or the addition of another medication.

While other factors like patient weight, trigger identification, and medication cost are certainly important in the overall management of chronic respiratory diseases, they do not directly reflect the immediate need for a change in therapy in the way that exacerbation history does. Exacerbations can have significant implications for patient health, safety, and quality of life, making them a vital consideration in therapy adjustments.