Atmoko W, Faisal HKP, Bobian ET, Adisworo MW, Yunus F. J Respir Indones. 2011;31(2);53-60.
Background: Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that is characterized by periodic symptoms that vary from time to time. Asthma symptoms may disturb the daily activities, such as social activity, sport, work day or school day attendant. The goals of asthma management are to achieve and maintain asthma control.
Asthma control is defined as patient’s condition in which patient has minimal or no symptom, no use of reliever medication, no night-time awakening, normal or almost normal of lung function, no exacerbation, no side effect of treatment and no emergency visit. Many studies found that many factors are associated with uncontrolled asthma such as age, gender, level of education, body mass index, asthma severity, smoking habit, and patient’s knowledge on asthma. The study was conducted to find the prevalence of uncontrolled asthma in Asthma Clinic Persahabatan Hospital and to analyze factors that are associated with the level of asthma control.
Methods and subjects: Cross sectional database was set up. The level of asthma control was divided into two categories, controlled and uncontrolled asthma. Subjects who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were assesed by using Asthma Control Test questionnaire and Asthma General Knowledge Questionnaire. Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13 was used to analyze the collected data.
Result: 107 subjects consisted of 69 females (64,5%) and 38 males (35,5%) participated in this study. The prevalence of uncontrolled asthma at Asthma Clinic Persahabatan Hospital was 81 patients (75,7%) and by using the Chi-Square test, there was significant association between the level of asthma control and body mass index (p = 0,03) and asthma severity (p = 0,003). Higher body mass index and higher severity of asthma was associated with lower asthma control. There was no significant association between age, gender, level of education, smoking habit, level of asthma general knowledge and the level of asthma control.
Conclusion: The prevalence of uncontrolled asthma is high. The level of asthma control is associated with body mass index and asthma severity.
Keywords: uncontrolled asthma, Asthma Control Test, Asthma General Knowledge Questionnaire, body mass index, asthma severity.