Abstract
We conducted a survey of childhood asthma management at the clinics and hospitals in Nara prefecture, using a questionnaire. The period of the survey was from June 1st to July 31st, 2004, and 468 patients completed the questionnaire (310 males, 155 females, 3 unknown). The median ages for enrollment at the clinic, the onset of asthma, and the first diagnosis of asthma were 6 (0.5-21), 2 (0-12), and 2 (0-14) years old, respectively. Asthma attacks were least frequent in the summer season. Deteriorating factors associated with asthma in their children were recognized by 90.7% of parents, and the most common factors were inhalation of house dust and catching a common cold. Among the patients, 64.7% had experienced hospitalization, 17.4% went to a clinic or hospital only when they had asthma attacks, and 82.6% received regular check-ups. Most of the patients took medication to prevent attacks, and most knew the names of the medicines and how to use them. 14.4% of the patients felt that the control of asthma was poor, and poor control of asthma disrupted both their life and their parents' lives. Consideration of approaches for improvement of the QOL of childhood asthma patients and their parents is of importance.
