OVERALL REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF PAEDIATRIC ASTHMA

Asthma is defined as a habitual seditious complaint of the airways. The habitual inflammation is associated with airway hyperresposiveness (an inflated airway- narrowing response to specific triggers similar as contagions, allergens and exercise) that leads to intermittent occurrences of gasping, breathlessness, casket miserliness and/ or coughing that can vary over time and in intensity. Viral respiratory tract infections, Exercise, Weather changes in temperature and humidity, Domestic pollutants (eg, pests, mould and dust mites), Environmental pollutants (eg, air pollution), Secondhand smoke exposure, Pets and animals, etc..  are the common factors that triggers asthma in children. Personal or family history of atopy: eczema, allergic rhinitis or nasal polyposis, Family history of asthma, Exposure to secondhand smoke, Preterm birth, Low birth weight, Obesity, Poor housing quality/mould and dampness, Air pollution are the risk factors associated with asthma. The pathophysiology involved in asthma is the infiltration of inflammatory cells (neutrophils, eosinophils, and lymphocytes) into the airway, activation of mast cells, and damage to epithelial cells. These responses leads to airway swelling, increased mucus secretion, and bronchial dysfunction which produce airway flow limitation and asthma symptoms. Paroxysms of dypnoea, intermittent occurrences of gasping, Coughing (particularly at night or in the early morning), casket miserliness and Sleep dislocation are the signs associated with asthma in children. The treatment involved in asthma includes Oxygen for hypoxia, inhaled and oral corticosteroids, leukotriene receptor antagonist, long-acting beta2-agonist, immunoglobulin E.

Key words: Asthma, Inflammation, Airway, IgE, Corticosteroids, Pulmonary function.