Inpharma 1483 - 16 Apr 2005

Rise in use of antiasthmaticsbehind a fall in paediatric asthma

rate?The increased use of antiasthmatics over time among

symptomatic children with asthma may reflect bettercontrol of the disease, and may partially account for the"concurrently decreasing trend in the prevalence ofasthma symptoms" among children, suggest researchersfrom The Netherlands.

They assessed data from surveys completed in 1989(n = 1794), 1993 (1526), 1997 (1670) and 2001 (1102)by parents of Dutch children (aged 8–9 years) to assessthe prevalence of respiratory symptoms, physicianvisits, medication use and school absences. The analysisshowed a continued decrease in recent wheeze amongparticipating children from 13.4% of children in 1989 to9.1% in 2001; this decrease was statistically significantamong boys. The prevalence of shortness of breath withwheeze also decreased from 7.9% in 1997 to 5.5% in2001. However, the proportion of children with wheezewho reported using antiasthmatic medication in the pastmonth rose steadily between 1989 and 2001 (from39.2% to 56%); this rise was particularly pronouncedamong boys, increasing from 42.9% in 1989 to 64.8% in2001, note the researchers.Mommers M, et al. Trends in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms andtreatment in Dutch children over a 12 year period: results of the fourth consecutivesurvey. Thorax 60: 97-99, No. 2, Feb 2005 801001970

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Inpharma 16 Apr 2005 No. 14831173-8324/10/1483-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved