Prevalence and management of asthma in children under 16 in one practice.

The prevalence of childhood asthma in a small town in west Cumbria was studied. Medical records were scrutinised for keywords, children who were entered in the study were examined, and their parents were interviewed. A control group of children who were matched for sex and age was used to estimate the prevalence of asthma for the practice in the town. At the same time treatment was evaluated and improved where necessary. As expected, asthma in children was grossly underdiagnosed. The prevalence of asthma in children aged under 16 years in the practice was 15.6%, although the recorded prevalence before the study was only 7.8%. Treatment was inadequate for 42% of the children. The reasons for this were explored, and recommendations were made on management.