Prescribing of asthma medication in primary care for children aged under 10

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• General Practice Research
• Pharmacotherapy Evaluation

Background:

• Asthma is a common chronic respiratory condition in children.
• Effective management of pediatric asthma relies on appropriate medication prescription and adherence.
• Understanding prescription patterns and continuation rates is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the patterns of asthma medication prescriptions for children aged 0-9 years in primary care.
• To determine the prevalence, incidence, and indications for asthma medication use.
• To investigate the continuation rates and predictors of long-term asthma medication use from preschool to school age.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of prescription data from a primary care network in the Netherlands.
• Inclusion of children aged 0-9 years prescribed asthma medication.
• Assessment of prevalence, incidence, indications, and continuation rates, with identification of predictors for continuation.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of asthma medication prescriptions was approximately 80 per 1000 person-years.
• Asthma diagnosis was recorded in 40% of children with initial prescriptions and 70% with ≥6 prescriptions.
• Medication discontinuation ranged from 60% to 90%, with higher continuation rates observed in children starting treatment at ages 2-3 and those prescribed combination therapies (beta2-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids).

Conclusions:

• Continuation rates for asthma medication in children are notably low.
• Age at the first prescription and the specific type of asthma medication prescribed are significant predictors of long-term treatment adherence.
• These findings highlight the need for strategies to improve sustained asthma management in pediatric populations.