Infantile Asthma

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality through the world and the leading cause of absent for daycare and school, number of emergency visit and hospitalization.
Asthma cause recurring episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. The pathogenesis of asthma is chronic inflammation and hyper-responsiveness caused by inflammation of airway. Airway become obstructed and air flow is limited by bronchoconstriction, mucus plug and increasing edema of bronchial wall. If such symptoms are repeated, it is relatively easy to diagnose asthma. But infant asthma (defined as asthma <2 years old) is difficult to diagnose. For early intervention, diagnosis can be made if there are 3 or more episodes of wheezing, with or without the presence of respiratory tract infection.
Recently, it was reported that the remodeling of airway occurs with the results of small number of broncho-constriction. For the block of remodeling, correct diagnosis, environmental control and early intervention with anti-inflamatory drugs may needed even in case of infantile asthma.