Pediatric Asthma Management

Based on the recommendations of a National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) expert panel, the National
Heart Lung and Blood Institute published a set of evidence-based guidelines to assist health professionals in the diagnosis
and treatment of asthma. They characterize the clinical features of asthma severity as follows:

Classification	Symptoms	FEV (Peak Flow Value)
Mild intermittent	Wheeze or cough 2 or fewer times per week Symptoms at night 2 or fewer times per month	Greater than 80%
Mild persistent	Wheeze or cough 3-6 times per week Symptoms at night 3-4 times per month Increased symptoms with activity	Greater than 80%
Moderate persistent	Daily symptoms Daily inhaled beta2-agonist (bronchodilator) medication use Symptoms at night 5 or more times per month Decreased exercise capacity	Greater than 60% - less than 80%
Severe persistent	Continual symptoms limiting activity Frequent exacerbations Frequent symptoms at night	Less than or equal to 60%

Asthma does not necessarily remain in the same category permanently. People may move up and down based on many factors
such as presence of allergens, incorrect use of medications and treatments or lack of adherence to the recommended treatment regimen. Effective treatment should lead to better asthma control and allow the person to move to a less severe category.

Select the Treatment tab to continue.

This learning activity was developed by Christine Pintz, FNP, MSN, coordinator of the Family Nurse Practitioner program at the George Washington University, in collaboration with Partnerships for Training, an Association of Academic Health Centers program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.