Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. The World Health Organization estimates that 300 million people currently suffer from asthma. Asthma is a disease of the lungs’ airways, in which the airways gets inflamed and swollen. The lungs get sensitive in this case and react easily to pollen, viruses, and smokes. When the airways become infected and narrow due to allergic reactions with the outside agents, it becomes harder to breathe for the patients. Along with various environmental factors, asthma is also caused by certain genetic factors.
The risk factors are exposure to dust and dirt, cold air, cigarette smoke, poor air quality, and chemicals in air. The asthma control test is a simple patient-based tool for identifying patients who have otherwise overlooked their symptoms (poorly controlled asthma).
As asthma is a chronic ailment, the goal of treatment is to provide optimum control of the symptoms. The asthma control test is a simple method to assess the asthma conditions of the patients. The test is a short questionnaire comprising of certain patient-based questions. Some questions are for the patient and some are for the caregiver. The patient answers questions related to present symptoms, cough, frequency of shortness of breath, night awakenings, and use of rescue inhaler. The caregiver also answers certain questions related to daytime symptoms of the patient, frequency of wheezing, and night awakenings.
The asthma control test for children is administered as an effective step for the evaluation of the asthmatic children. According to a report published by the European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) is now a valid tool to analyze the asthmatic children. The C-ACT can be used along with the lung functioning tests to establish the symptom control strategies in the asthmatic children. The report also concluded that Childhood Asthma Control Test can be used as a complement, not as an alternative tool, to other effective asthma analyzing techniques namely FeNO measurement and spirometry.
The test score obtained in the asthma control test helps the physicians determine whether the asthma treatment plan is working or whether it is necessary to implement any change. Nineteen is the cut off score of the questionnaire, consisting of five asthma-related questions. The test results signify three different conditions of the patients, namely, poorly controlled, well controlled and totally controlled. A test score of 19 or less indicates a patient with poorly controlled asthma. A score of range 20 to 24 indicates well-controlled asthma. And, the highest score of 25 indicates total control of the asthma.
It is recommended to consult with a physician after getting the score of the asthma control test. The doctor may then (based on your score) prescribe any type of improvement in asthma control strategy. Well-controlled asthma is characterized by symptoms twice or less a week, no awakenings at night and in the early mornings, no limitations on activities such as visiting school, working or performing exercises, and use of rescue inhaler twice or less a week.
The asthma control test for adults also serves as an effective self-management practice for the adults suffering from this chronic disease. The test aims to get better health outcomes by reducing the poor self-management practices of the adults.
In the ACT procedure of both children and adults, the test scores of ACT are compared with the GINA classification of asthma symptom severity; the physician then uses the report to predict the control levels of asthma in patients. Overall, it can be said that ACT implements a patient-oriented concept that detects uncontrolled asthma in an easy way.
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