Asthma Severity in Korean Children Assessed By the 12 Pediatric Allergists Working at Different Hospitals

Abstract

S U N D A Y 277 Asthma Severity in Korean Children Assessed By the 12 Pediatric Allergists Working at Different Hospitals Dong In Suh, MD, DaeHyun Lim, Hyeon Jong Yang, MD, BongSeong Kim, MD, Youn Ho Shin, So-Yeon Lee, Geunhwa Park, Woo Kyung Kim, MD, PhD, Hyo-Bin Kim, MD, PhD, Heysung Baek, MD, PhD, Jin-Tack Kim, MD, PhD, Ja-Kyoung Kim; Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Seoul, Department of Pediatrics, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangnam CHA hospitatl, Seoul, South Korea, Department of Pediatrics, Hallym University College of Medicine, Gwanghye general hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Seoul Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, Department of Pediatrics, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Seoul, South Korea, Department of Pediatrics, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, Department of Pediatrics, Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea, Kangwon National University Hospital. RATIONALE: Information on the exact distribution of severity is critical. However no data is available on the Korean asthmatic children. METHODS: We have requested 12 pediatric allergists to review the medical records on asthmatic children who visited their own clinic during themost recent 3 months. Based on the subjects’ symptoms, signs and their medications to maintain control, their asthma severities were assessed according to both the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) criteria and the Japanese Pediatric Guidelines for the Treatment and Management of Bronchial Asthma (JPGL) criteria. Thereafter, the disparity between severities assessed by the two criteria were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 906 cases (less than 3 years, 22.3%; 3 to 6 years, 21.3%, more than 6 years, 56.4%) were reviewed. When we assess the severities of asthma via GINA criteria, 328/906 cases (36.2%) were mild intermittent, 327 (36.1%) cases weremild persistent and 227 (25.1%) cases were moderate persistent. Whereas only 24 (2.6%) cases were severe persistent. On the other hand, when we classify the severity of asthma by the JPGL criteria, 244/906 cases (26.9%) were intermittent, 300 (33.1%) cases were mild persistent and 342 (37.7%) cases were moderate persistent. Whereas only 20 (2.2%) cases were severe persistent. CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, about 1/3 of asthmatic children had intermittent asthma whereas only less than 3% of subjects had severe persistent asthma. Considering the disparity between both guidelines, specific asthma guideline for Korean children based on our own data should be needed.