%0 Journal Article
%T Control de asma en adolescentes Assessment of disease control among asthmatic adolescents
%A Alberto Vidal
%A Carlos Ubilla
%A Gast¨®n Duffau
%J Revista m¨¦dica de Chile
%D 2008
%I Sociedad M¨¦dica de Santiago
%X Background: The clinical assessment of asthma control is fundamental to evaluate the results of treatment. The Asthma Control Test (ACT) is a questionnaire with five scored ¨ªtems, that differentiates between a well controlled or uncontrolled asthma. It has a Spanish versi¨®n and has been applied in different countries. Aim: To assess asthma control using the ACT and compare it with the clinical assessment of specialists in a group of pediatr¨ªc patients. Material and methods: The ACT was applied to 220 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 54% males, with persistent asthma, attended at a respiratory disease unit of a pediatr¨ªc hospital. The concordance between ACT results and the assessment of specialists was also evaluated. Results: According to ACT and specialists, asthma was controlled in 54% and 63% of patients, respectively. There was a weak concordance between ACT and specialists assessment (Kappa index: 0.27; 95% confidence intervals: 0.14-0.4). The degree of asthma control decreased along with increasing sever¨ªty of the disease (%z = 10.128, p =0.001). Conclusions: Half of the evaluated asthmatic adolescents do not have an adequate control of their disease. Sever¨ªty of the disease is inversely related to the degree of control
%K Adolescent
%K Asthma
%K Questionnaires
%U http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-98872008000700006