Abstract

Asthma is defined as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways which manifests itself as recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough. It is characterized by bronchial hyper-responsiveness and variable airflow obstruction, that is often reversible either spontaneously or with treatment. Other nonspecific symptoms in infants or young children may be a history of recurrent bronchitis, bronchiolitis, or pneumonia; a persistent cough with colds; and/or recurrent croup or chest rattling. For all but the most severely affected patients, the ultimate goal is to prevent symptoms, minimize morbidity from acute episodes, and prevent functional and psychological morbidity to provide a healthy (or near healthy) lifestyle appropriate to the age of child. We conducted this review using a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 1st , 1994, through November 30th , 2017.

Authors and Affiliations