Related Experiment Videos
Spectrum of asthma in children. I. Clinical and physiological components
Insights
This study classified childhood asthma into four grades based on persistence and severity. Severe persistent asthma in children is characterized by early onset and ongoing airway obstruction, aiding in assessment and prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Pulmonology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Childhood asthma presents a wide spectrum of severity and persistence.
- Accurate classification is crucial for effective management and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To classify asthmatic children into distinct grades based on clinical and physiological characteristics.
- To identify defining features for each asthma grade from childhood to adolescence.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study of 315 asthmatic children and 82 controls from age 7 to 14.
- Clinical assessment and physiological measurements were used to define asthma grades.
- Asthma severity and persistence were key classification criteria.
Main Results:
- Four grades of childhood asthma were defined, ranging from mild to severe persistent.
- Severe persistent asthma showed early onset (by age 3), frequent attacks, persistent airway obstruction, hyperinflation, chest deformity, and growth impairment.
- Mild asthma typically began later, was episodic, with minimal obstruction between attacks, often resolving before age 10.
Conclusions:
- Distinct clinical and physiological profiles characterize different grades of childhood asthma.
- These characteristics, evident by age 7-10, provide a basis for assessment, management, and prognosis.
- Early identification of severe persistent asthma is possible and informs long-term care strategies.
Abstract:
A sample of 315 asthmatic children, representative of the whole range of asthma in childhood, and a control group of 82 children were studied clinically and physiologically from 7 to 14 years of age. The asthmatic children were arbitrarily classified into four grades according to the relative frequency and persistence of their asthma to 14 years of age. Each of these grades could be more clearly defined on analysis of other clinical and physiological characteristics.THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SEVERE PERSISTENT ASTHMA WERE: onset usually in the first three years of life, a high frequency of attacks in the initial year, clinical and physiological evidence of persisting airways obstruction and pulmonary hyperinflation, chest deformity, and impairment of growth. By contrast, mild asthma usually began later in childhood, was episodic, and there was little or no evidence of airways obstruction between attacks. The attacks generally stopped before 10 years of age. In between these two extremes were two intermediate grades.The clinical and physiological characteristics of each grade of asthma at 14 years of age were usually evident by 10 years, and in the most severe grade by 7 years of age. These characteristics provide a sound basis for assessment, management, and prognosis.