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[Bronchial asthma in children under 2 years of age]
Insights
Diagnosing bronchial asthma in infants under two years old is possible using simple methods. Key indicators include clinical history, reversibility tests, and eosinophil counts for early detection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pulmonology
- Allergy Immunology
Context:
- Bronchial asthma diagnosis in infants presents challenges due to overlapping symptoms with other respiratory conditions.
- Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective management and preventing long-term respiratory complications.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy of clinical history, physical examination, and laboratory tests in diagnosing bronchial asthma in children under two years of age.
- To identify simple, specific diagnostic methods applicable in resource-limited settings.
Summary:
- A study analyzed 61 infants under two years old presenting with respiratory symptoms.
- Key diagnostic tools identified include detailed clinical history, physical examination focusing on reversibility of bronchial obstruction (e.g., with adrenaline), eosinophil counts in bronchial secretions, and skin tests for children over 12 months.
- The study concluded that bronchial asthma can be reliably diagnosed in this age group using these accessible methods.
Impact:
- Establishes the feasibility of diagnosing infant bronchial asthma with minimal equipment, improving accessibility to care.
- Highlights the importance of specific clinical and laboratory findings for early intervention in pediatric respiratory diseases.
Abstract:
Bronchial asthma is defined and some basic physiopathological phenomena are quoted. The most important facts leading to the investigation and the possibility of establishing the diagnosis of bronchial asthma in infants are mentioned. 61 children under 2 years of age who had been taken for consultation to the Bronchial Pulmonary Disease Department of the Exequiel González Cortés Hospital and the Child Medical Institute were analyzed in connection with the contribution of the anamnesis, physical check-up and the laboratory test to the diagnosis of the bronchial asthma. The following items are emphasized: value of the clinical history, the clinical test of total reversability of bronchial obstruction to (towards) adrenaline and the esoinophil count in bronchial secretion, and the skin test in children over 12 months of age. The conclusion is that it is possible to diagnose bronchial asthma in the child under two years old through simple, specific methods in any medical center with minimal equipment.