Background: The new Global Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines advice to focus treatment in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) on improvement of functional state, prevention of disease progression and minimization of symptoms. So far no validated questionnaires are available to measure symptom and functional state in daily clinical practice. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ).
Objective: To evaluate prescriptions of asthma medication for children in primary care.Methods: Data on prescriptions of asthma medication for children aged 0-9 years were collected from a general practice-based network in the north eastern part of the Netherlands. Prevalence, incidence, indications, continuation beyond the age of 6 years, and predictors of continuation, were determined.Results: Prevalence of prescriptions was about 80 per 1000 person years. An asthma diagnosis was registered in 40% of the children with a first prescription and in 70% of the children with six or more prescriptions. Discontinuation of asthma medication was between 60 and 90%. Continuation was more likely in children with a first prescription at age 2 or 3 as compared to children starting treatment at age ≤1 year. Children with prescriptions for β2-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids were more likely to continue treatment than children with β2-agonist monotherapy prescriptions.
Conclusion:Continuation of asthma medication in children is low. Age at first prescription and the type of asthma medication are predictors of continuation of asthma medication from preschool into school-age.
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