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Persistent peripheral airway obstruction in children with severe asthma
J Akhter1, M M Gaspar, R W Newcomb
1Department of Pediatrics, Wyler Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL.
Annals of Allergy
|July 1, 1989
Summary
Severe asthma in children can cause persistent airway obstruction, challenging the idea that childhood asthma is fully reversible. This finding suggests potential links to adult lung disease.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children.
- Current understanding suggests childhood asthma is largely reversible.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and characteristics of persistent airway obstruction in children diagnosed with asthma.
- To challenge the prevailing paradigm of childhood asthma reversibility.
Main Methods:
- Review of pulmonary function data from 447 children with asthma over a 6-year period.
- In-depth study of 7 children exhibiting consistent airway obstruction.
- Assessment of lung function before and after intensive inpatient therapy.
Main Results:
- 19 children showed evidence of consistent airway obstruction.
- In 6 of 7 studied patients, low lung volume flow rates were severely depressed and unresponsive to therapy.
- One patient experienced disease progression and died from asthma, with autopsy confirming asthma-related changes.
Conclusions:
- Some children with severe asthma exhibit persistent and severe peripheral airway obstruction.
- These findings question the assumption that childhood asthma is completely reversible.
- Further research on long-term outcomes of children with persistent obstruction is warranted to explore links to adult lung disease.