Fear Interferes with Asthma Treatment
Some parents withhold drugs because of side-effect concerns

(HealthDay News) -- The No. 1 enemy of the millions of American children who have asthma appears to be fear.

But not their fear. Rather, it's their parents' fear.

Researchers have found that their parents' worries about the safety and side effects of asthma medications are keeping some children from getting the relief they need.

This parental worry has the experts worrying, too, because asthma is the leading serious chronic illness of children in the United States . And, though it cannot be cured, it can almost always be controlled with medication, when it's taken as prescribed.

Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the bronchial airways. The inflammation causes the airways to become over-reactive, producing increased mucus, mucosal swelling and muscle contraction, explains the American Lung Association. Allergies, viral respiratory infections and airborne irritants can trigger the inflammation. The result is airway obstruction, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing.

The research, published in the journal Pediatrics , found that one in six parents of children with asthma was more concerned about the side effects of asthma medications than about their child's need for the drugs.

An effective way to treat children's asthma, then, might be to address parental concerns, the researchers said. This in turn might increase adherence to asthma drugs, they said.

About 10 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma, but health experts estimate that only half of prescribed medications are taken daily as directed.

"Children today can be virtually symptom-free, thanks to modern preventive medications," said the study's lead author, Kelly Conn, of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York . "But kids rely on their parents to make health decisions for them, so we need to know what parents are thinking as we partner with them to achieve this goal."

Conn 's team interviewed parents of 622 Michigan children who reported using at least one preventive asthma medication.

The parents completed a questionnaire that contrasted parents' belief in the need for the medication with their worries about the children taking medications on a regular basis. Worries included such concerns as whether the medication had harmful side effects and whether it would be habit-forming.

Analysis of the data showed that 77 percent of parents believed their child's need for the medications outweighed their concerns about drug safety. However, 17 percent were more concerned about a drug's potential to harm their child than they were convinced of its necessity. The remaining 6 percent were undecided.

The study showed that parents' beliefs affected how regularly their children received the medications, the researchers said.

Parents who believed in the need for the medications were more likely to keep their children on track with the drugs. Still, just 14 percent of parents reported perfect adherence to the asthma medication plan.

"These findings suggest a great deal of promise for improving symptom control just by addressing parents' worries and providing accurate information about medication side effects," Conn said.

Additionally, the study found that minority parents were more likely to worry about the drugs' side effects than believe in the necessity of medication. Conn said this was especially concerning because minority children face a greater risk for asthma.

On the Web

To learn more about childhood asthma, visit the American Lung Association online.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; University of Rochester , news release, Sept. 4, 2007; September 2007, Pediatrics ; American Lung Association (www.lungusa.org)
Author: Anne Thompson
Publication Date: Sept. 30, 2008
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