Associated Factors for Asthma Severity in Korean Children: A Korean Childhood Asthma Study

• Published in: Allergy, asthma & immunology research Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 86 - 98
• Main Authors: Lee, Eun, Song, Dae Jin, Kim, Woo Kyung, Suh, Dong In, Baek, Hey-Sung, Shin, Meeyong, Yoo, Young, Kim, Jin Tack, Kwon, Ji-Won, Jang, Gwang Cheon, Lim, Dae Hyun, Yang, Hyeon-Jong, Kim, Hwan Soo, Seo, Ju-Hee, Woo, Sung-Il, Kim, Hyung Young, Shin, Youn Ho, Lee, Ju Suk, Yoon, Jisun, Jung, Sungsu, Han, Minkyu, Eom, Eunjin, Yu, Jinho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology 01.01.2020; The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology; The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease; 대한천식알레르기학회
• Subjects: Air pollution; Air purification; Asthma; Children; Dander; Disease control; Disease management; Dogs; Education; Environmental factors; Health risk assessment; Impact analysis; Original; Passive smoking; Regression analysis; Regression models; Smoke; Social impact; Tobacco; 내과학; severity; environmental exposure; education status; dogs; smoke; air pollution; asthma; Child; risk factor
• ISSN: 2092-7355; 2092-7363
• DOI: 10.4168/aair.2020.12.1.86

Childhood asthma has a considerable social impact and economic burden, especially in severe asthma. This study aimed to identify the proportion of childhood asthma severity and to evaluate associated factors for greater asthma severity. This study was performed on 667 children aged 5-15 years with asthma from the nationwide 19 hospitals in the Korean childhood Asthma Study (KAS). Asthma was classified as mild intermittent, mild persistent, and moderate/severe persistent groups according to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recommendations. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to identify the associated factors for greater asthma severity. Mild persistent asthma was most prevalent (39.0%), followed by mild intermittent (37.6%), moderate persistent (22.8%), and severe persistent asthma (0.6%). Onset later than 6 years of age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.69 for mild persistent asthma; aOR, 1.92 for moderate/severe persistent asthma) tended to increase asthma severity. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (aOR, 1.53 for mild persistent asthma; aOR, 1.85 for moderate/severe persistent asthma), and current dog ownership with sensitization to dog dander (aOR, 5.86 for mild persistent asthma; aOR, 6.90 for moderate/severe persistent asthma) showed increasing trends with greater asthma severity. Lower maternal education levels (aOR, 2.32) and no usage of an air purifier in exposure to high levels of outdoor air pollution (aOR, 1.76) were associated with moderate/severe persistent asthma. Modification of identified environmental factors associated with greater asthma severity might help better control childhood asthma, thereby reducing the disease burden due to childhood asthma.