Pittsburgh Steelers' Jerome Bettis Teams Up with the American Lung Association to Help Patients Know Their Asthma Score; Bettis Takes to the Field in National Asthma Education Tour of Major U.S. Cities.

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and asthma patient for nearly 20 years, will help other people tackle their asthma by encouraging them to assess their level of asthma control and to speak with their doctor about the frequency of their asthma symptoms.

As part of the Know Your Asthma Score & Expect More national education campaign, Bettis will join the American Lung Association in announcing its support of an objective, asthma assessment tool, the Asthma Control Test(TM) (ACT). The five questions included in the ACT are based on measures of asthma control established by the National Institutes of Health and can help people with asthma and their doctors assess the patient's level of symptom control.

Bettis will also take part in a national tour of major U.S. cities throughout 2005 to raise awareness of the ACT and the need for improved asthma control.

Asthma is a chronic condition affecting approximately 20 million Americans. If left uncontrolled, it can lead to a range of consequences, including frequent symptoms, missed work, urgent care visits, hospitalization and even life-threatening asthma attacks.

"I've experienced first-hand the consequences of uncontrolled asthma, my chest felt as though it was being squeezed and I couldn't breathe," said Jerome Bettis, fifth all-time leading rusher in the National Football League (NFL). "The ACT is an easy way to gauge how often asthma symptoms interfere with your life. Controlling symptoms allows you to stay active and do more of the things you want to do, which for me is playing football. I urge everyone with asthma to take the ACT as a part of their asthma game plan."

KNOW YOUR ASTHMA SCORE AND EXPECT MORE

Answers to the ACT provide asthma patients a score that may help them and their doctor determine if their current treatment plan is working. The total ACT score is based on a range of 5 to 25. A score of 19 or less may be an indication that asthma symptoms are not under control. If a patient scores 19 or less, they should make an appointment with their doctor to discuss their ACT results and ensure they are properly controlling airway constriction and inflammation, the two main causes of asthma symptoms. Even if patients score a 20 or more they should talk with their doctor about their results to help improve their asthma dialogue.

The American Lung Association supports the ACT and recommends everyone 12 and older with asthma take it no matter how well controlled they think their asthma is. Asthma is a chronic lung disease where both inflammation and bronchoconstriction cause the airways to narrow, leading to symptoms that include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. Though there is no cure, asthma can be a highly controllable disease when patients take the appropriate steps toward symptom prevention and daily long-term management.

"I see many patients with asthma who don't realize that daily use of a rescue inhaler or experiencing frequent symptoms is not normal and means that their asthma is not being controlled properly," said Dr. Norman H. Edelman, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association and vice president for Health Sciences at State University of New York at Stonybrook. "People's lives don't need to be so impacted by their asthma -- it's important for patients to take the ACT and talk to their doctor about the level of symptoms they are experiencing."

A free copy of the ACT is available by calling toll free 1-800-990-4100 or visiting online at http://www.asthmacontrol.com/.

ALL-PRO RUNNING BACK GETS ASTHMA UNDER CONTROL

Jerome was diagnosed with asthma at age 14 after passing out and being rushed to the hospital during his high school football practice in Detroit. Rather than discontinuing his play, his mother encouraged him to keep playing and follow his doctor's orders to keep symptoms under control. He has since gone on to become one of the most talented and respected players in the NFL. Despite having been symptom-free for years, Jerome suffered a major asthma attack in 1997 during a nationally televised game. Jerome has faced his asthma head-on, and worked with his doctors to map out a game plan to help him control his asthma on and off the field. Since becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler, Jerome has played in five Pro-Bowls, including this year's February 2005 match-up.

ABOUT THE ASTHMA CONTROL TEST

The ACT is a five-item questionnaire, which gives physicians and patients a simple yet highly predictive tool they can use to help assess asthma control. In the validation study, the ACT was administered to more than 471 asthma patients during routine office visits with asthma specialists. After completing the questionnaire, patients took a lung function test (spirometry) to measure pre-bronchodilator FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second), and asthma specialists -- who were blinded to patients' ACT results - examined the patients. Specialists then offered a global assessment of patients' asthma control, assigning a rating using a five-point scale. Each patient's ACT results were then compared with their spirometry results and the specialist's global assessment, which was categorized as either "controlled" or "not controlled." The ACT correctly classified a patient's level of asthma control in three out of four cases (76.5 percent).

ABOUT THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

For 100 years, the American Lung Association has been the lead organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is "Improving life, one breath at a time." For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to http://www.lungusa.org/.

The American Lung Association and GlaxoSmithKline are working together on the Know Your Asthma Score & Expect More campaign to promote asthma awareness.

GlaxoSmithKline is a research-based pharmaceutical company and a world leader in respiratory care.

Web sites: http://www.lungusa.org http://www.asthmacontrol.com

CONTACT: Kathryn Ritzinger of Cohn & Wolfe, [phone], for American Lung Association