[The further development of bronchial asthma which began in childhood]

The paper evaluates the contemporary health status in 115 former child asthmatics, investigated in the past at the allergological department of the First Paediatric Clinic and Faculty Policlinic in Prague-Motol. The data were obtained by processing of a questionnaire and retrospective analysis of the patients' health records. The mean age of the investigated group is 26 years (21-37) incl. 77 men and 38 women. Of these 85, i.e. 74%, still suffer from asthma in adult age, incl. almost half (55 patients) who suffer from the milder form, only one quarter suffers from the more severe form (30 patients) and in one quarter the quiescent stage has been reached. In those where asthma persists there is concurrent eczema (26%), pollinosis (44%), other forms of allergy (43%). Where asthma is in the quiescent stage, eczema is present in 10%, pollinosis in 33% and other allergies in 27% of the investigated subjects. A greater probability of favourable development is in boys as compared with girls and in those without a family-history of allergy and where the disease developed only during late childhood and the patients themselves do not suffer from any other allergosis. A positive family-history of allergy, early onset of the disease and concurrent eczema signalize a poorer prognosis.