335 Control of Asthma and Its Relationship to Quality of Life in Adolescents

BACKGROUND: Asthma in adolescence is an important cause of morbidity, affecting significantly the quality of life. In order to facilitate the management of asthma control and allow a better assessment of quality of life, symptoms can be evaluated with questionnaires that reflect the multifactorial nature of the disease. OBJECTIVE: Assessing asthma control and its impact on quality of life in adolescents followed up in specialized ambulatory. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 120 patients from a center of reference, between 10 and 20 years, with a mean age of 13.8 years and 66% male. Asthma was classified according to the GINA (2009) and 8% of patients had intermittent asthma, 9% mild, 64% moderate and 19% severe persistent asthma. At the time of consultation were applied two questionnaires previously validated in Brazil: Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire Adapted (PAQLQ-A). The ACT included 5 items that assess asthma symptoms, use of rescue medication, influence of disease on daily activities and patient perception of control of the disease, giving a maximum score of 25. Patients with a score >18 were considered controlled. The PAQLQ-A is composed of 23 questions, divided into 3 areas: limitation of activities, symptoms and emotional function. The responses are evaluated using a 7-point scale, with higher value indicating the minimum commitment. In this study the data were statistically analyzed by Spearman correlation, with significant value < 0.05. RESULTS: Comparisons were made between the areas of PAQLQ-A versus results of the ACT. Thus, correlating ACT and the area of symptoms was found an r = 0.7. In the emotional function was found an r = 0.55 and in limitation of activities an r = 0.49. The 3 correlations were statistically significant with P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The use of questionnaires to assess quality of life and evaluation of disease control showed great potential to improve health care in chronic patients. Questionnaires are easy to apply and may allow a broader assessment of disease and better recognition of the patient's perception regarding their limitations and symptoms.