Wheezing in Chinese schoolchildren: disease severity distribution and management practices, a community-based study in Hong Kong and Guangzhou

• Published in: Clinical and experimental allergy 2005-11, Vol.35 (11), p.1449-1456
• Main Authors: Ko, F. W. S., Wang, H. Y., Wong, G. W. K., Leung, T. F., Hui, D. S. C., Chan, D. P. S., Zhong, N. S., Lai, C. K.W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Inhalation; Adrenal Cortex Hormones - administration & dosage; Adrenergic beta-Agonists - administration & dosage; Allergic diseases; Anti-Asthmatic Agents - administration & dosage; Asthma - drug therapy; Asthma - epidemiology; Asthma - physiopathology; asthma management; Biological and medical sciences; Child; children; China - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Guangzhou; Hong Kong; Hong Kong - epidemiology; Hospitalization; Humans; Immunopathology; lung function; Male; Medical sciences; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Prevalence; Respiratory Sounds - physiology; Severity of Illness Index
• ISSN: 0954-7894; 1365-2222
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2005.02361.x

Summary Background Asthma is a common chronic disease and information on its management practices at the community level is helpful in identifying problems and improving asthma care. Objective To assess the severity status and management of the asthma symptom of wheeze of children at the community level in Hong Kong (HK) and Guangzhou (GZ). Methods Cross‐sectional study of children aged 10 years using the International Study of Asthma and Allergic disease in Childhood (ISAAC Phase II protocol). Asthma management and lung function were assessed in 178 (98 from HK and 80 from GZ) randomly selected children with wheeze over the past 12 months. Results Eighty‐three percent, 11%, 6% and 0% of children suffered from intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent and severe persistent asthma, respectively, according to the frequency of their symptoms. Addition of spirometric parameter only changed the asthma severity classification in 2.8% of children. Medications were used by 30.6% and 71.3% of children for wheeze in HK and GZ, respectively. In HK, inhaled β2‐agonist (73.3% among the drug users) was the commonest medication used followed by inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) (23.3%). In GZ, inhaled β2‐agonist was used by 75.4% of children, but use of ICS (26.3%), oral β2‐agonist (26.3%), oral theophylline (45.6%), oral ketotifen (36.8%) and oral steroid (35.1%) were also common. ICS was only used by 11.4% of children with persistent asthma. Ten percent and 18.7% of children in HK and GZ, respectively, had emergency department visits, while 16.3% and 11.6% of children in HK and GZ, respectively, had missed school secondary to asthma over the past 1 year. Conclusions Most children in the community had intermittent asthma and addition of lung function to symptoms did not significantly affect classification of asthma severity. Significant morbidity was seen even in this group of children with mostly intermittent and mild persistent asthma.