The benefits far outweigh the risks in certain patients. But when they walk out the door, she has no assurance that any of the advice sank in. Alarmed by how many kids with asthma are not getting help, Halterman recently led a follow-up study to better understand why. Based on interviews with more than 160 families who had a child with asthma, Halterman says that patients were likely to use their rescue inhalers during flare-ups, but they often neglected inhaled steroids and similar preventive medications. Roughly half the kids also failed to visit a doctor in a 3-month period, even though many were having asthma attacks almost daily.
Experts say the problem has several possible causes.
Cost is always a factor. Children on Medicaid, for example, are less likely to see an asthma specialist and generally receive poorer care compared to young patients who have other forms of insurance, two new studies charge. There is also difficulty in getting kids to do anything adults tell them to, let alone take a medication that doesn't seem to have an immediate effect. Despite reassurances that inhaled steroids are safer than their pill counterpart, many parents are worried that steroids may stunt their child's growth. But if they really understand how the medications worked and what the side effects really are, they may be more willing to use the medication.