Asthma treatment patterns in Dutch children using medication dispensing data

Asthma medicines (e.g. inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and inhaled β-agonists) are the most commonly chronically used medication in children.(1) In the Netherlands, asthma is treated according to a stepwise approach, which is mainly derived from the British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines.(2, 3) The guidelines advice to start treatment at the most appropriate step according to clinical severity. Step up of asthma treatment is advised if a child does not reach asthma control in the current step, and step down is advised if a child is well controlled for a period of 3 months.(2, 4) Little is known about how well the stepwise approach in the guidelines is followed in clinical practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved