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Episodes of respiratory morbidity in children with cough and wheeze

J B Clough1, S T Holgate

  • 1University Medicine, Southampton General Hospital, United Kingdom.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
|July 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
  • Clinical Immunology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Childhood asthma is characterized by recurrent airflow obstruction episodes.
  • Understanding the frequency, duration, and severity of these episodes is crucial for effective management.
  • Previous research has explored various asthma triggers and indicators, but a detailed analysis of episode characteristics is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the nature of airflow obstruction episodes in children with asthma.
  • To examine the relationship between these episodes and other asthma indicators like cough and wheeze.
  • To determine the impact of atopy on episode frequency, duration, and severity.

Main Methods:

  • A 1-year longitudinal study involving 183 children (aged 7-8 years).
  • Participants recorded twice-daily peak expiratory flow (PEF) and daily symptom scores.
  • Episodes of respiratory morbidity were defined as PEF falls >1.5 SD below mean for >2 days.

Main Results:

  • 642 episodes of respiratory morbidity were identified, more frequent in autumn/winter.
  • Children experienced an average of 3.5 episodes, with 51.4% having >3 episodes.
  • Episodes were more severe in children with wheeze and slightly more frequent in those with cough; atopy had no significant effect.

Conclusions:

  • Recurrent episodes of airflow obstruction are common in childhood asthma, particularly during colder months.
  • Wheeze is associated with more severe episodes, while cough may indicate slightly increased frequency.
  • Atopy does not appear to influence the characteristics of these respiratory episodes in this age group.

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