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Nasal symptoms and signs in children suffering from asthma

S K Steinsvåg1, B Skadberg, K Bredesen

  • 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sørlandet Hospital, Kristiansand, Norway. sverre.steinsvag@sshf.no

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
|February 6, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Asthmatic children often experience upper airway issues like nasal blockage and mouth breathing. Enlarged adenoids may contribute to airway obstruction in these children, impacting their respiratory health.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Otolaryngology
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • A connection between upper and lower airways is established in health and disease.
  • The role of the nose in pediatric asthma remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare upper airway symptoms and signs in children with asthma versus healthy children.
  • To investigate the potential involvement of the nose and epipharynx in pediatric asthma.

Main Methods:

  • Compared 27 asthmatic children with 29 age/sex-matched healthy controls.
  • Utilized ENT specialist evaluations, parent questionnaires, skin prick tests, total IgE, acoustic rhinometry, and epipharyngeal X-rays.
  • Analyzed and compared data between asthmatic and control groups.

Main Results:

  • Asthmatic children showed higher prevalence of nasal blockage, mouth breathing, daytime sleepiness, apneas, itching, sneezing, and hearing impairment (p<0.05).
  • Mean VAS scores for nasal blockage and daytime sleepiness were significantly higher in asthmatics.
  • Asthmatics had a larger adenoid-nasopharynx-index, indicating reduced palatal airway (p<0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Upper airway obstruction in asthmatic children appears localized to the epipharynx.
  • Adenoids likely play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of pediatric asthma.
Abstract

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