Status of asthma control in pediatric primary care: results from the pediatric Asthma Control Characteristics and Prevalence Survey Study (ACCESS).

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of uncontrolled asthma in pediatric patients with asthma visiting their primary care provider for any medical reason.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional survey conducted at 29 pediatric care sites across the United States. Children age 4-17 years with self- or caregiver-reported asthma completed the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) or the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and responded to demographic and health-related questions. Uncontrolled asthma was defined as a C-ACT or ACT score <or=19.

RESULTS

A total of 2429 children with a diagnosis of asthma (or caregivers) completed the survey. The prevalence of uncontrolled asthma was 46%. The prevalence of uncontrolled asthma was 35% in patients seen for a nonrespiratory complaint versus 54% in those seen for a respiratory complaint. Children seen for a non-respiratory-related complaint with uncontrolled asthma were more likely to have missed 1 or more school days in the previous 4 weeks compared with children with controlled asthma (53% vs 24%).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the impact of uncontrolled asthma not only in children seen for respiratory complaints, but also in those seen for nonrespiratory complaints. Pediatric care providers should consider evaluating asthma control on a regular basis regardless of the reason for the visit.