Inpharma 1310 - 20 Oct 2001

Preventive therapies underused inpaediatric asthma

Preventive therapies, particularly inhaledcorticosteroids, are underused in paediatric patientswith persistant asthma, say researchers from the US.

Their study involved interviewing by telephone thecaregivers of 220 individuals (aged 2–13 years) from theBronx, New York, US, who met modified NAEPP*

criteria. The patients in the study were classifiedaccording to the severity of their asthma with 17%having mild intermittent asthma, 27% mild persistentasthma, and 56% moderate-to-severe persistent asthma.Of the 181 patients in the sample identified withpersistent asthma, only 70 (39%) were receiving dailyanti-inflammatory agents. In addition, among patientswith moderate-to-severe persistent asthma, 58% werenot receiving a daily anti-inflammatory agent, 27% werereceiving sodium cromoglycate [cromolyn sodium]alone, and only 16% were receiving inhaledcorticosteroids, which are currently considered to be themost effective long-term asthma-controlling agents.Families were twice as likely to report giving daily anti-inflammatories to patients in their care if they had aprimary-care provider they knew how to reach, a writtenasthma plan, a peak-flow meter or an allergy mattresscover.* National Asthma Education and Prevention Program

Warman KL, et al. Asthma symptoms, morbidity, and antiinflammatory use ininner-city children. Pediatrics 108: 277-282, Part 1, Aug 2001 800879079

1

Inpharma 20 Oct 2001 No. 13101173-8324/10/1310-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved