The impact of chronic disease management in primary care on inequality in asthma severity.

Chronic disease management (CDM) is now widely available in primary care, but methods of delivery are highly variable. The focus of this study was to examine whether CDM provided in asthma clinics was more effective in reducing the severity of asthma symptoms, particularly for deprived populations. There was no evidence of 'inverse care' in the provision of CDM in clinics and good evidence that it was associated with a reduction in the severity of asthma symptoms for both deprived and affluent populations.