Asthma Control Assessment in Children: Correlation between Asthma Control Test and Peak Expiratory Flow

To assess the correlation between asthma control test and peak expiratory flow measurements in children and the impact of certain factors influencing asthma symptoms perception over their correlation.

A prospective study including 54 patients aged 5 to 18 years old, who have been diagnosed with asthma in "Victor Gomoiu" Children's Clinical Hospital between May 2012-November 2013, was initiated. For each patient a personalized asthma monitoring plan was designed. This presumes many evaluations assigned to assess the asthma control status. These evaluations consist in counting of asthma symptoms using ACT (Asthma Control Test) and evaluation of pulmonary function using PEF measurement (peak expiratory flow) and spirometry. In each patient factors known to have an influence on asthma symptoms perception (small age, overweighting and allergic rhinitis) were searched. Finally, the correlation between ACT value and PEF variation and how this correlation is influenced by these factors were assessed.

From all 54 included patients a total of 113 evaluations moments were recorded. The assessment of correlation between ACT score and PEF variation for all evaluations showed a strong correlation overall (p<0.01). The correlation is stronger in the small age group (5 to 6 years: p<0.01) than in the older age group (6 to 11 years: p=0.014, >12 years: p=0.03). ACT does not correlate with PEF variation in the overweight patients subgroup (p=0.226). We found the percent of overweight equal to 8.57% in the small age subgroup (5 to 6 years), 26.78% in the 6 to 11 years old group and 31.81% in the over 12 years old patient group. ACT is correlated with PEF variation in both the allergic rhinitis and non allergic rhinitis subgroups (p<0.01).

ACT is correlated with PEF variation overall. Their correlation is not influenced by small age and the presence of allergic rhinitis, but is influenced by overweighting.