Multicenter Adherence Study of Asthma Medication for Children in Korea

PURPOSE: Adherence is a major component of successful medical treatment. However, non-adherence remains a barrier to effective delivery of healthcare worldwide. METHODS: Twenty healthcare facilities (secondary or tertiary hospitals) belonging to the Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Diseases (KAPARD) participated. Questionnaires were given to patients currently receiving treatment in the form of inhalant useor oral intake or transdermal patch for mild to moderate asthma. RESULTS: A total of 1,838 patients responded to the questionnaire. Mean age was 5.98 ± 3.79 years (range: 0-18 years). With help from their caregivers, the percentage of patients that answered “taking as prescribed” was 38.04% for inhalant users, 50.09% for oral medication users and 67.42% for transdermal users. Transdermal patch users had significantly greater adherence compared to the other 2 groups (P < 0.001). The 34.15% of inhalant users, 70.33% of oral medication users and 93.00% of transdermal patch users felt that their medication delivery system was “Easy” or “Very easy” to use (P < 0.001). “Method of administration” was deemed to be the most difficult part of the treatment regimen to follow, and 76.7% of patients preferred once-daily administration (i.e., “Frequency of administration”). CONCLUSIONS: Asthma medication adherence in young children was found to be better in the transdermal patch group. This may be due to requiring fewer doses and easy to follow instructions. From an adherence point of view, the transdermal patch seems more useful for long-term asthma control in children compared to oral or inhaled medicine.

Multiple Congenital Pancreatic Cysts in a Neonate

Congenital pancreatic cysts are rare in newborn babies, and this makes prenatal diagnosis difficult. Diagnosis can be delayed for a few months after birth until the infant presents with an abdominal mass, abdominal distension, or vomiting due to gastric outlet obstruction. Excision of the cyst is the treatment of choice. A congenital pancreatic cyst should be considered if the fetus has an abdominal cyst without a definite origin. A prompt diagnosis is crucial to prevent fatal complications such as cholangitis, pancreatitis, cyst rupture, and peritonitis. We report a case of neonate with multiple congenital pancreatic cysts suspected prenatally to be stomach diverticulum or duplication cysts of the intestine.