Source: Annual Congress 2008 - Treatment and outcome of childhood asthma: new perspectives
Disease area: Airway diseases, Paediatric lung diseases

Abstract

Introduction
Clinical outcome and lung function data of a 43 year prospective community-based follow up study of 7 year old children is reported.
Methodology
In 1964, 410 7 year old Melbourne children were enrolled:105 controls(who had never wheezed),74 mild wheezy bronchitis (MWB)(<5 episodes of wheezing associated with RTI),104 wheezy bronchitis (WB)(>5 episodes of wheezing associated with RTI),113 asthma (A)(wheezing unassociated with RTI). A further 83 children with severe asthma (SA)(persistent symptoms and barrel chest deformity or FEV1/FVC ratio< 50%) were added at age 10. At each review, questionnaire and lung function was performed and subjects were classified as no recent asthma (no wheezing in the last 3 years), infrequent asthma (wheezing in the last 3 years but none in the last 3 months), frequent asthma (wheezing in past three months, but less than once a week), persistent asthma (wheezing in the last 3 months, more than once a week).To date,184 subjects have completed questionnaires and 111 have completed lung function testing.
Results
Clinically 87% of the controls(n=28) and 50%(n=69) of the wheeze/asthma children reported no recent asthma. 81% of the childhood SA group(n=17) continued to have either frequent or persistent asthma symptoms at age 50. Mean FEV1 was 111% for controls(n=23), 102% for MWB(n=15), 100% for WB(n=28), 97% for A(n=30), 87% for SA(n=15) at the age of 50. There has been no increase in the rate of decline in FEV1 across the wheeze/asthma groups throughout the 43 years.
Conclusion
Children with SA had ongoing symptoms into adult life and significantly reduced lung function when compared to the controls. Lung function decline over time has not occurred in childhood asthma.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
A. Tai, C. Robertson, J. Wilson, H. Tran, N. Clarke, M. Roberts (Victoria, Australia). Longitudinal outcome of childhood asthma into adult life: outcome at 50 years. Eur Respir J 2008; 32: Suppl. 52, 4600

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