Comparison of Questionnaires in Childhood Asthma Control

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Asthma is a prevalent chronic respiratory condition in childhood.
• Effective asthma management relies on accurate assessment of disease control.
• Various tools exist to evaluate asthma control, each with potential differences in outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare asthma control levels in pediatric patients using two distinct assessment tools.
• To identify factors influencing asthma control, such as family history of atopy.
• To determine the concordance between the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines and the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) in assessing pediatric asthma control.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 90 pediatric patients (aged 7+) followed in a clinical setting were assessed.
• Asthma control was evaluated using the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) criteria and the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ).
• Statistical analysis was performed to explore relationships between family history of atopy and questionnaire results.

Main Results:

• Complete asthma control rates varied significantly between GINA (13.3%) and ACQ (58.9%).
• A significant association was found between a family history of atopy and ACQ scores (P = .011), but not GINA criteria.
• Both questionnaires demonstrated similar abilities in identifying patients with complete or incomplete asthma control.

Conclusions:

• The choice of asthma control assessment tool can influence reported control levels in pediatric patients.
• Family history of atopy may be a relevant factor in asthma control as measured by the ACQ.
• Further research is warranted to understand the clinical implications of differing control assessments in pediatric asthma.