Asthma-Like Symptoms Deserve More Concern

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A significant number of children may be suffering from symptoms suggesting asthma but they are going undiagnosed, report investigators publishing in this month’s Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

The prevalence of asthma has increased over the past 20 years, and the disease is now the most common chronic condition of childhood. Still, evidence exists that the disease is underdiagnosed, although the health consequences for children are unclear.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill surveyed more than 122,000 children ages 12 to 14 to determine how many may be suffering from asthma-like symptoms but do not have an official asthma diagnosis. They also wanted to see how these symptoms were impacting the lives of children.

The investigation found 17 percent of the children reported asthma-like symptoms but did not have a physician’s diagnosis. Eleven percent said they had similar symptoms and had been diagnosed with asthma by their doctors. Among those with symptoms but no diagnosis, 20 percent had missed half a day or more of school per month due to their symptoms. A quarter reported limited activities due to symptoms, and 32 percent said their sleep was disturbed because of symptoms. Seven percent of these children had made one or more visits to the emergency room for asthma-like symptoms, and 5 percent reported a hospitalization for symptoms related to wheezing.

By contrast, nearly half of the children who reported a physician diagnosis of asthma and asthma-like symptoms reported missing at least a half a day of school per month and 30 percent reported one more emergency room visits for symptoms related to the condition.

The authors conclude, “The health consequences of asthma-like symptoms in children with no diagnosis are substantial ... Better detection of this disease group by the medical community has the potential to improve health consequences for these children.”

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