Nordic asthma specialists are coming together in the fight against severe asthma. With the establishment of NORDSTAR – the world largest database on asthma – unique insights into the natural history of asthma and the development of severe asthma can be achieved: Finding explanations as to why some patients develop severe disease, while others do not, is an important step towards better prevention and management of severe asthma.
NORDSTAR is managed by the Nordic Severe Asthma Network (NSAN) and led by Professor Celeste Porsbjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark. NORDSTAR is a unique collaboration between Nordic key opinion leaders on asthma, data science experts from Quantify Research and the pharmaceutical industry – Novartis and Sanofi.
NORDSTAR includes nationwide longitudinal follow-up of more than 3 million asthma patients across Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The database contains detailed information on medical diagnosis, medication use, health care interactions and costs, socio-demographics and mortality.
Currently the dataset comprises:
- 3,3 million asthma patients
- Up to 30 years of follow-up
- 50 million person-years of follow-up
- 2 million+ asthma related care contacts
- 1000+ asthma related deaths
Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting many people’s everyday lives. Despite good treatment options for most patients, up to 10% of patients have severe, treatment-resistant asthma. The ambition of NORDSTAR is to improve everyday lives of asthma patients, by providing a better understanding of the burden of severe asthma, the risk factors for developing severe asthma, and the potential for improving the prognosis in the individual patient.