Knowing asthma in adolescentes from Uruguaiana: The Global Asthma Network (GAN)

Abstract

Background: The Global Asthma Network (GAN), was created in 2012 to diagnose, propose and addresses the current state of asthma as the most important global noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and to improve asthma patient's care asthma globally, focusing on low- and middle-income countries. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study fapplying GAN methodology, conducted at the #504013 GAN center in Uruguaiana, BR. One thousand fifty six adolescents (13-14 years old) were enrolled in the study and answered the standard questionnaire, exploring demographics, asthma symptoms, diagnosis and risk factors. Results: A high prevalence of wheezing ever (32.9%) and wheezing in the last 12 months (15.8%) was observed. Among those with wheezing in the last year, 44.3% was diagnosed to have asthma by a physician. 75.5% had 4-12 episodes of wheezing, 18% woke up at night because of wheezing, only 3% had a plan of action, almost half, 45.5% used short acting beta 2 agonists in the last 12 months, but only 5,4% used inhaled corticosteroids. 29.3% reported having gone between 4 -12 times to the doctor, 15% in the emergency room, 4,1% hospitalized in the last 12 months and 30.5% lost days of class. Conclusions: Adolescents from Uruguaiana present high prevalvence of symptoms of asthma. Although asthma has been diagnosed in almost half of these adolescents, few have a plan of action, many use inhaled bronchodilators and few use the preventive medication.