Asthma Exacerbations and Triggers in Children in TENOR: Impact on Quality of Life

BACKGROUND: Data examining associations between asthma exacerbations, triggers, and asthma-related quality of life (QOL) in children with severe/difficult-to-treat asthma are unavailable. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate real-world data on relationships between asthma exacerbations, triggers, and QOL in children using data from TENOR (The Epidemiology and Natural History of Asthma Outcomes and Treatment Regimens), a 3-year observational study of patients with severe/difficult-to-treat asthma, including those aged 6 to 12 years. METHODS: QOL was examined using the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) and defined exacerbations hierarchically (descending order of severity): hospitalization, emergency department visit, steroid burst, no exacerbation, using the highest value from months 6 and 12. One-way ANOVA was used to test for differences in PAQLQ domain scores at month 12 across exacerbation severity, total number of asthma exacerbations, and number of baseline asthma triggers. Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test was used to test the association between the number of triggers and exacerbation hierarchy. RESULTS: Greater severity of asthma exacerbations was associated with significantly (P < .001) lower mean PAQLQ domain scores, indicating poorer QOL. A higher number of asthma exacerbations was associated with significantly (P < .001) lower mean PAQLQ domain scores. PAQLQ scores were significantly lower with higher numbers of baseline triggers. Higher baseline number of asthma triggers was associated with greater severity (P = .05) and number of asthma exacerbations (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: A higher number of asthma triggers at baseline was associated with greater asthma severity and number of asthma exacerbations and lower QOL in children with severe/difficult-to-treat asthma. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.