Inappropriate use of anti-asthmatic drugs in the Italian paediatric population

Objective. To evaluate anti-asthmatic drug prescriptions in a large Italian paediatric population. Methods. Prescriptions involving 417,559 children younger than 14 years old dispensed during 2000 by the retail pharmacies of 17 Italian local health units participating in the ARNO project were analysed. Results. In the study, 92,890 children (22.2%) received at least one anti-asthmatic drug prescription. The prevalence of prescriptions was higher in children less than 1 year old, significantly decreased with increasing age, and was higher in boys than in girls. Of children treated with anti-asthmatic drugs, 71.5% received prescriptions of less than three boxes. Beclomethasone, salbutamol, flunisolide and fluticasone were the most prescribed drugs. Beclomethasone and flunisolide were prescribed mostly as nebulised suspension. Conclusions. The data suggest that anti-asthmatic drugs are often prescribed for diseases different from asthma and that many children are exposed to treatments for which there is no evidence of efficacy.