Prescription of asthma medications in preschool children across Norwegian counties

Abstract

Introduction: The prescription of asthma medication for preschool children differs substantially between European countries. Norway has a high prescription rate of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) for this age group (1). Aim: To study if the prescription of different groups of asthma medication for preschool children differs between Norwegian counties. Methods: Data on dispensed asthma medication in children aged 0-4 years in 2013 were retrieved from the nationwide Norwegian Prescription Database. Medications were grouped as: 1) Short acting β2-agonists (SABA) only 2) Leukotriene antagonists (LTRA) with/without SABA or long acting β2-agonists (LABA) 3) ICS with/without SABA, 4) ICS and LTRA with/without SABA, 5) ICS and LABA with/without SABA or LTRA Results: The prescription of all groups of asthma medication differed between the counties; range sum of groups 62 -140 per 1 000 children (p<0.001). Prescriptions with ICS and SABA were most common. Prescriptions with LABA were mostly found in the counties with an overall high prescription rate. Conclusion: The results implicate that there is a need for a better implementation of guidelines for the treatment of lower airway symptoms in young children. Reference: 1. Oymar K, Mikalsen IB, Furu K, Nystad W, Karlstad O. Prescription patterns of inhaled corticosteroids for preschool children - A Norwegian register study. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2015;26:655-61.