Brazil Confronts Asthma Surge With New Campaign After Study Warns of Harm

Overview

• New research from the CuidAR project reports that most adults with asthma in primary care have reduced lung function linked to outdated rescue-only inhaler use, and guidelines call for adding daily anti‑inflammatory therapy with a long‑acting bronchodilator.
• São Paulo health data show suspected-asthma attendances jumped to more than 11,000 procedures in February, up 24.8% from a year earlier and up 101% versus February 2024, with 2025 peaking above 18,000 in August.
• Nationwide hospitalizations climbed from 47,814 in 2020 to 78,314 in 2025 and annual deaths held around 2,552–2,755 over 2020–2024, with people 60 and older accounting for most fatalities.
• The Federal Pharmacy Council’s Respira + Brasil campaign is offering free clinical checks, lung function screening, vaccines and hands‑on inhaler training across Brazil while preparing more than 11,000 pharmacists for the effort through late June.
• The push targets a basic gap in care, as a review found 87% of patients use inhalers incorrectly and only about 15% of health professionals fully master the technique, which can keep medicine from reaching the lungs.