Symptoms of asthma: comparison of a parent-completed retrospective questionnaire with a prospective daily symptom diary.

In a study of the effects of indoor air pollution on the respiratory health of children in Newcastle, Australia, parental reports of symptoms experienced by children over the previous 12 months were compared with a prospective record of symptoms of cough and wheeze. Parents of 390 children aged 8-11 years completed a questionnaire about child and family respiratory health, which was used to assign children to one of four symptom groups: Wheeze (two or more attacks of wheezing in the last 12 months), Chest-Colds (two or more chest-colds in the last 12 months without wheezing), Cough Alone (a dry cough at night, without a cold or chest infection, that lasted for more than 2 weeks), or Control (none). A balanced sample of children (n=139) was invited to participate further by completing lung function tests, atopy testing, and keeping a daily diary of peak expiratory flow (PEF) and symptoms of cough and wheeze over a 7-week period.

Anti-inflammatory effect of itraconazole in stable allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) complicates chronic asthma and results from hypersensitivity to the fungus Aspergillus fumigatu s, causing an intense systemic immune response and progressive lung damage.

Objective: We sought to determine whether treatment with the antifungal agent itraconazole reduced eosinophilic airway inflammation in subjects with ABPA.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed in stable subjects with ABPA (n = 29).

Airway eosinophilia is associated with wheeze but is uncommon in children with persistent cough and frequent chest colds.

The role of eosinophilic airway inflammation in the variant asthma syndromes of cough and chest colds is not well defined. We tested the hypothesis that children with persistent cough and chest colds have increased sputum eosinophils, similar to those with wheeze. The parents of 390 primary school children completed a symptoms questionnaire.

Validation of the ISAAC video questionnaire (AVQ3.0) in adolescents from a mixed ethnic background.

Background: The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) has developed an international version of the asthma video questionnaire (AVQ3.0) to measure asthma prevalence. This questionnaire has not been validated in adolescents from a mixed ethnic background.

The characteristics of asthma education programs within New South Wales.

The aim of the study was to examine the characteristics of asthma education programs within NSW. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey concerning the aims and characteristics of 42 asthma education programs was administered to members of the Asthma Educators Association (AEA) of NSW. While most programs sought to improve asthma knowledge (78%), only a small number sought to improve asthma management skills (38%), asthma control (33%) and attitudes (10%).