Λεξικό .. Childhood asthma

Childhood asthma

It is repeatedly stated that childhood asthma is a self-limiting disorder which tends to improve spontaneously during adolescence, but this is a misleading and often inaccurate generalization. Prospective studies have shown that very mild, episodic wheezing in mid childhood, which affects up to 12% of the population, is predominantly a self-limiting condition, though many sufferers may have some minor problems in adult life. The 5% of children who have earlier-onset asthma with more frequent and persistent symptoms are much less likely to remit[1].

international differences in asthma symptom prevalence have reduced, particularly in the 13-14 year age group, with decreases in prevalence in English speaking countries and Western Europe and increases in prevalence in regions where prevalence was previously low. Although there was little change in the overall prevalence of current wheeze, the percentage of children reported to have had asthma increased significantly, possibly reflecting greater awareness of this condition and/or changes in diagnostic practice. The increases in asthma symptom prevalence in Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia indicate that the global burden of asthma is continuing to rise, but the global prevalence differences are lessening[2]. The UK has the highest recorded prevalence of wheezing and Ethiopia the lowest. Prevalence of wheezing in Australia and the UK has increased from the 1970s up to the early 1990s, but decreased since then and ISAAC studies report significantly higher prevalences than non-ISAAC studies[3].

References

1. Warner, J.O.: Asthma in infancy and childhood. Clinical features and therapeutic considerations: Triangle suppl. 1, Vol. 26:7-12 (1987).

2, Pearce N, Aït-Khaled N, Beasley R, Mallol J, Keil U, Mitchell E, Robertson C; and the ISAAC Phase Three Study Group. Worldwide trends in the prevalence of asthma symptoms: phase III of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Thorax. 2007 Sep;62(9):758-66. Epub 2007 May 15.

3. Patel SP, Järvelin MR, Little MP. Systematic review of worldwide variations of the prevalence of wheezing symptoms in children. Environ Health. 2008 Nov 10;7:57.