PROGNOSIS OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA: 22-35 YEARS FOLLOW-UP

Abstract

The prognoses of 125 asthmatic patients, who had developed asthma 22 to 35 years ago as children, were re-examined by questionnaire in 1986, except for three of them who had died. All these cases were studied on their asthmatic condition in 1972 and in 1979. The final prognosis was: cured: 45.6%, markedly improved: 20.0%, mild: 16.0%, moderately severe: 12.8%, severe: 3.2% and dead: 2.4%. This prognosis depended on the severity of the patient's asthma at the first visit to our hospital. Comparison of the severity of asthma in the present study with that found in 1972 and 1979 revealed that much greater improvement had occurred in 1979 and 1986 than in 1972. No significant differences, however, were observed between 1979 and 1986. The relapsing rate of asthma after over two years'remission was 27.6%. It was higher in the mild, moderately severe and severe groups (52.5%) than in the cured and markedly improved groups (14.4%).