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Asthma remission common among boys
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Sensitization status, particularly sensitization to animals, asthma severity and female sex largely determine the probability of remission of childhood asthma, according to recent study findings published in Pediatrics.
“One in five children with asthma remitted from age 7 to 19,” researchers wrote. “Remission was defined as no wheezing and no medication for ≥3 years and was inversely related to female gender, sensitization to furred animals, and asthma severity at baseline.”
The study included 248 children aged 7 to 8 years in northern Sweden identified as having asthma. Participants were re-evaluated annually until aged 19 years (205 remained). Lung function, bronchial challenge testing and skin prick tests were performed during follow-up.
Martin Andersson
Researchers found that 21% of participants were in remission at aged 19 years, 38% had periodic asthma and 41% had persistent asthma. Boys were more likely to be in remission. Sensitization to furred animals (OR=0.14; 95% CI, 0.04-0.55) and more severe asthma (OR=0.19; 95% CI, 0.07-0.54) at aged 7 to 8 years were inversely associated with remission. Eighty-two percent of participants with the previous two symptoms had persistent asthma during adolescence.
“Remission of childhood asthma was common in late adolescence,” researchers wrote. “Special emphasis should be directed toward the clinical management and follow-up of children with sensitization to furred animals, more severe asthma, and asthma among girls because these factors are associated with persistence.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of disclosures.
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