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| Reasons of poor control | Variables | Examples |
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| Disease-related | Comorbidities | Rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, gastrooesophageal reflux, obstructive sleep apnoea, and obesity |
| Triggers | House dust mite, pets, occupational exposure, exercise, drug, passive smoking, new allergens, aspirin, and beta-blockers |
| Asthma type | Aspirin-sensitivity, neutrophilic activity, and severe therapy-resistant |
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Patient related | Sociodemographic factors | Female sex, education below secondary level, adolescence, and elderly age |
| Adherence | Undertreatment, overtreatment, irregular visits to healthcare providers, insufficient monitoring of symptoms, and no modifications in lifestyle |
| Psychiatric comorbidity | Anxiety and depressive disorders |
| Psychological characteristics | Alexithymia (a personality trait characterized by difficulty in identifying and verbally expressing feeling) and inadequate coping strategies |
| Perceptions | Tendency to tolerate symptoms, exacerbations and lifestyle limits as an inevitable consequence of asthma |
| Expectations | Low expectations and aspirations about the achievable degree of control |
| Behaviours | Smoking habits
Incorrect use of inhaler leading to ineffective/reduced drug delivery |
| Knowledge | Inadequate information about the disease’s treatment. |
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Doctor related | Misdiagnosis | Limited awareness of asthma prevalence inadequate assessment |
| Knowledge of current guidelines | Lack of consciousness and familiarity about guidelines availability |
| Attitude towards guidelines | Difficulty in accepting a particular document or the concept itself of the guidelines
Lack of confidence in personal abilities to put the recommendations into practice
Expectations of failure in following guidelines |
| Guidelines implementations | Difficulty changing deep-seated routines |
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