"That leaves almost 80 percent who are suffering more than they need to," Dr. Jill Halterman, the study's lead author, said in a press release. "They may be experiencing unnecessary symptoms, missed school days, and restrictions on activity. That's a problem."

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways commonly triggered by allergens. People with asthma experience wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and difficulty breathing -- symptoms that in rare cases can be fatal. The number of Americans with asthma has surged in recent years. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, approximately 20 million people have been diagnosed with asthma, including nearly 9 million children with asthma.

The study, published in the March 15 journal of Ambulatory Pediatrics, was based on telephone interviews with the parents of 975 children from Alabama, California, Illinois and Texas. Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center's Golisano Children's Hospital found that more than a third of children in the survey (37 percent) received no preventive medication. Forty-three percent of the children were not on medication even though their parents reported they experience frequent asthma attacks and lack of control of their symptoms.

Asthma treatments may include quick-relief medications, also called "rescue" medications, which are designed to instantly relieve the symptoms of an asthma attack. Long-term control medications are designed to minimize inflammation and prevent asthma flare-ups before they occur. Bronchodilators, inhalers and nebulizers are among the mechanisms used to administer medications to prevent or relieve symptoms. Treatment also involves avoiding environmental triggers that may precede an attack, including secondhand smoke, pet dander or pollen.

"We wanted a closer look into why so many children weren't reaping the benefits of today's therapeutic advances," Halterman said.

She and her colleagues determined that possible reasons for so many children not getting relief of their symptoms included lack of consistent use of daily anti-inflammation medication, exposure to environmental triggers or inadequate education about managing asthma and controlling attacks.

"The bottom line is that there's much work that needs to be done in making sure that children with asthma receive appropriate and effective care; it's more complex than one might think," Halterman added. "Asthma care involves coordination on everyone's part. Parents and patients need to report and track symptoms, relay this information to their doctor, use medications as prescribed, and steer clear of triggers. Physicians need to recognize persistent symptoms in their patients, and take time to prescribe, educate and draw up unique action plan for each patient's management."

The survey also found that poor and minority children received inadequate asthma treatment and that lack of or intermittent health care insurance coverage was linked with limited access to needed asthma medications.

The study was funded by grants from the Halcyon Hill Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars Program.

Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.