Specific Features of Childhood Asthma

Astma u djece najčešće počinje u ranoj dobi i ima varijabilan tijek i različitu kliničku pojavnost. U djece se astma očituje različitim fenotipovima koji se mogu preklapati, ući u remisiju, ali i perzistirati do odrasle dobi. Razlikovanje astme od ponavljanog piskanja povezanog s drugim bolestima u prvim godinama života nije jednostavno. Astma u školske djece i adolescenata značajno je češće povezana s alergijom nego astma u odraslih. Klinička ekspresija bolesti, važnost alergije i nespecifičnih čimbenika u pokretanju simptoma i egzacerbacija astme, dijagnostika, praćenje upalnih zbivanja u bronhima, kao i liječenje, u djece se razlikuju od astme u odraslih. Na temelju ovih spoznaja formirane su internacionalne i nacionalne smjernice usredotočene samo na dječju astmu. U ovom tekstu iznesene su suvremene postavke o posebnostima astme dječje dobi.Asthma in children usually occurs at an early age and has a variable course and a diff erent clinical appearance. In children, asthma exhibits different phenotypes, which may overlap, enter into remission, but also persist into adulthood. It is not easy to diff erentiate asthma from recurrent wheezing associated with other diseases in the first years of life. Asthma in school children and adolescents is significantly more often associated with allergies than asthma in adults. Clinical expression of the disease, the importance of allergy and nonspecific triggers in the initiation of symptoms and asthma exacerbations, diagnostics, monitoring of bronchial inflammation, as well as the treatment itself in children are diff erent from those found in adults. Based on these findings, international and national guidelines have been established, focusing exclusively on paediatric asthma. This paper presents contemporary standpoints on the specific features of asthma in children