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Acute asthma exacerbations in childhood: risk factors, prevention and treatment

George V Guibas1, Michael Makris, Nikolaos G Papadopoulos

  • 1Allergy Unit D. Kalogeromitros, Attikon University Hospital, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.

Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine
|December 14, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Asthma is a complex syndrome, not a single disease. This review explores the diverse, sudden-onset asthma events, particularly in children, highlighting various phenotypes.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Immunology
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Asthma is recognized as a heterogeneous syndrome with underlying inflammatory and remodeling processes.
  • These processes can lead to quiescent periods followed by acute, severe clinical events.
  • Childhood asthma presents unique complexities due to ongoing biological system maturation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review sudden-onset asthma events, particularly in pediatric populations.
  • To emphasize the diversity of these events based on distinct asthma phenotypes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on asthma heterogeneity and sudden-onset events.
  • Analysis of pediatric asthma complexities and maturation processes.
  • Categorization of asthma phenotypes contributing to diverse clinical manifestations.

Main Results:

  • Asthma's syndromic nature involves complex inflammatory and remodeling pathways.
  • Sudden-onset asthma events in children are influenced by developmental factors.
  • Numerous asthma phenotypes contribute to the varied presentation of acute episodes.

Conclusions:

  • Asthma management requires acknowledging its heterogeneous, syndromic nature.
  • Understanding diverse asthma phenotypes is crucial for addressing sudden-onset events in children.
  • Further research into pediatric asthma phenotypes can improve clinical outcomes.

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