Analysis of the Consumption of Drugs Prescribed for the Treatment of Asthma in Belgian Children

Natacha Biset, Wies Kestens, Dominique Detemmerman, Murielle Lona, Güngör Karakaya, Ann Ceuppens, Stéphanie Pochet and Carine De Vriese
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Natacha Biset: Department of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutics, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Wies Kestens: Department of Studies & Innovation, Mutualités Libres—Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Dominique Detemmerman: Department of Studies & Innovation, Mutualités Libres—Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Murielle Lona: Department of Studies & Innovation, Mutualités Libres—Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Güngör Karakaya: Department of Studies & Innovation, Mutualités Libres—Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Ann Ceuppens: Department of Studies & Innovation, Mutualités Libres—Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Stéphanie Pochet: Department of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutics, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Carine De Vriese: Department of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutics, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 1050 Brussels, Belgium

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: (1) Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world among children. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the consumption of asthma medications in order to investigate asthma in children (2–18 years) and the association with health care consumption; (2) a retrospective study using anonymized administrative data for 2013–2018 from the third largest Belgian health insurer was conducted; (3) in 2018, 12.9% of children received at least one asthma medication and 4.4% received at least two packages with a minimum of 30 days between purchases. Preschool children (2–6 years) were three times more likely to take asthma medication than older children (7–18 years). ICS, in combination or not with LABA, were the most dispensed drugs among children. Children with asthma medications were almost twice as likely to receive antibiotics, more likely to end up in the emergency room, and twice as likely to be hospitalized; (4) most children took ICS, according to the GINA guidelines. High rates of nebulization in young children were observed, despite the recommendation to use an inhaler with a spacing chamber as much as possible. Finally, children who took asthma medications were more likely to end up in the ER or be hospitalized.

Keywords: children; respiratory disease; asthma; treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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