Prospective Multicentre Study on Symptoms in First-onset Bronchial Asthma in Children and Adolescents

Bronchial asthma may present with symptoms other than the commonly reported complaints (cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing). Less common symptoms include chronic or recurrent productive cough, inspiratory dyspnoea or recurrent pneumonia. Children presenting with these symptoms are often diagnosed with asthma bronchiale and benefit from antiasthmatic management.

International guidelines for the diagnosis of bronchial asthma list cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing as the four basic symptoms of asthma. The diagnosis of bronchial asthma is based on the presence of two or more of these symptoms over time, together with evidence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and a favourable response to antiasthmatic treatment. In children under 5 years of age, the occurrence of an isolated cough as a possible asthma symptom (cough variant asthma) is also accepted if bronchial hyperresponsiveness is documented and the difficulty subsides on therapy. Pulmonologists also refer children over 5 years of age who have only an isolated cough with no other symptoms before diagnosis. In practice, however, it is also possible to see children whose asthma initially manifests as conditions assessed as recurrent pneumonia, isolated chronic cough of a moist nature or as inspiratory dyspnoea. These atypical symptoms are not oficially counted as asthma symptoms. In this study, the investigators focus on prevalence of typical and atypical asthma symtpoms. Furthermore, the investigators study sensitivity of offical asthma symptom questinaire ISAAC in children with typical and atypical asthma symptoms.