Insufficiant corticosteroids treatment in children with acute asthma

Recent surveys have shown that asthma management is still not optimal. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of utilization of the corticosteroids and others antiasthmatic medications in asthmatic children who were treated in the emergency room (ER). The study sample comprised of 230 children, who were seen in the emergency room of Assir Central Hospital and received treatment for their asthma during the time period of August 1996 to 31 June 2003. Information, regarding the previous medications which had been received prior to the emergency room’s visit and the treatment which had been given at the emergency room, were collected from the records. Only asthmatic children with age of one year to twelve years and who were treated and discharged from the emergency room were included in this study. The striking findings of this study were that, less than one tenth of the patients were given intravenous corticoids (steroids), four patients were given oral steroids and none of them was given intramuscular steroids at the emergency room. Also, more than half of the patients had received anti- cough medications, and two thirds of the patients were given antibiotics. The under use of steroids and the over use of others medications for patients with acute asthma provided clear results in this study. Therefore, specific educational programs focusing on the need for increasing the rate of prescription rate and the adherence to steroids, will improve the overall degree of asthma control.