Inhalation devices in childhood asthma.

Inhalation therapy is currently the most appropriate way to treat asthma also in childhood. This route of administration provides the best clinical effect with the least systemic side effects. The use of inhalative therapy in childhood involves special considerations.

[Atopy score in infancy and the severity of asthma at 7 years of age].

Due to limitations in early diagnosis of atopy at wheezy infants in 1982 the authors introduced a special scoring system called "atopy-score". This evaluates the skin prick tests' results, serum IgE level, the presence of other allergic symptoms, and atopy in the family history. The relationship between atopy-score in early childhood and severity of atopic asthma at age 7 was investigated in 30 children (15 mild, and 15 severe asthmatics).