PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Warren Lenney
AU  - Andrew Bush
AU  - Dominic A Fitzgerald
AU  - Monica Fletcher
AU  - Anders Ostrem
AU  - Soren Pedersen
AU  - Stanley J Szefler
AU  - Heather J Zar
ED  - ,
TI  - Improving the global diagnosis and management of asthma in children
AID  - 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2018-211626
DP  - 2018 Jul 01
TA  - Thorax
PG  - 662--669
VI  - 73
IP  - 7
4099  - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/73/7/662.short
4100  - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/73/7/662.full
SO  - Thorax2018 Jul 01; 73
AB  - Asthma is the most common chronic condition in children worldwide. It affects daytime activities, sleep and school attendance and causes anxiety to parents, families and other carers. The quality of asthma diagnosis and management globally still needs substantial improvement. From infancy to the teenage years, there are age-specific challenges, including both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis with stigma-related barriers to treatment in some cultures and in adolescents. Guidelines are increasingly evidence based, but their impact on improving outcomes has been negligible in many parts of the world, often due to lack of implementation. New thinking is needed to enable substantial improvements in outcomes. The disease varies globally and plans will need to differ for individual countries or places where region-specific barriers prevent optimal care. A wide selection of educational activities is needed, including community-targeted initiatives, to engage with families. The Paediatric Asthma Project Plan has been initiated to strengthen diagnosis and management of asthma. This encompasses a vision for the next 10–15 years, building on the knowledge and experience from previous educational projects. It will take into account the educational needs of patients, carers and healthcare professionals as well as the accessibility and affordability of medication, particularly in low and middle-income countries where the prevalence of asthma is rising more rapidly. This overview presents a first step for those involved in the diagnosis and management of childhood asthma to strengthen care for children globally.