Relation of Asthma Control with Quality of Life among a Sample of Egyptian Asthmatic School Children

BACKGROUND: Asthma is considered a chronic health illness that not only resulted in physical symptoms but also emotional effects. It is; therefore, so important to assess the quality of life of asthmatic patients besides their level of disease control. AIM: To determine the correlation of asthma control with the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of asthmatic children in Egypt. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-eight asthmatic Egyptian children were enrolled in the study. They were subjected to asthma severity grading, asthma control questionnaire (ACQ) and pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (PAQLQ). Studied cases were taken from 6 primary and preparatory schools, Giza governorate. RESULTS: The mean child control score was significantly higher in not well-controlled asthmatics compared to well-controlled asthmatics (p < 0.005). The not well controlled asthmatic children showed significantly lower activity limitation score, symptoms score, and overall asthmatic score compared to controlled asthmatic children (p < 0.05). The severity of asthma shows significant positive correlation with symptoms score, emotional function score and overall asthmatic score (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The quality of life for the asthmatic children is strongly correlated with the level of asthma control and severity.