Abstract
Achieving and maintaining asthma control is a major goal of asthma management. Little information is available on asthma control in children in Africa. We sought to assess asthma control in several African centers according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines and to investigate its determinants. Methods: This multicenter cross- sectional study included 7 countries:Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Senegal, Niger and Mali. It lingered for 3 months and it involved children of 6 to 15 years old diagnosed with asthma for at least one year earlier. Children with another pathology associated with asthma and children who did not need any anti-asthmatic medication during the last 12 months were excluded from this study. The control was assessed by using the GINA proposal (controlled, partly controlled and uncontrolled asthma). A multivariate analysis was carried out to identify the risk factors for non-control of asthma. Results: A wide variability emerged across Africa. Among 521 children included in the study,55% had a controlled asthma symptoms and 45% had a non-controlled symptoms one (GINA 2014).The level of asthma control turned to 27% when the respiratory function is taken into consideration. Multivariate analysis shows that age, the non-realization of therapeutic education and excessive use of short acting b2 adrenergic receptor agonist are the risk factors of uncontrolled asthma. The level of the parent9s qualifications, the height of siblings and the easy access to healthcare are factors associated with poorly controlled asthma. Conclusion: Asthma control remains unsatisfactory in our countries. The level of asthma control impacts directly the life quality of the children.
Published Version
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