Prevalence of asthma, rhinitis and eczema in children from the Bangkok area using the ISAAC (International Study for Asthma and Allergy in Children) questionnaires.

Within the past three decades, there has been a rising trend for prevalences of asthma and allergic diseases worldwide, particularly from developed and industrializing countries. In Thailand, limited studies on epidemiology of atopic diseases have indicated relatively low prevalences of these conditions among the Thais. Recently, a standardized phase I questionnaire of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) has been developed to study and to compare geographical and temporal trend for prevalences of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema in children.

Allergen skin test reactivities among asthmatic Thai children.

Skin prick tests with 14 selected local aeroallergens were performed on 100 asthmatic children aged 0-16 years attending the Pediatric Allergy Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital. The 14 allergens included Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), Johnson grass (Sorghum halopense), Cladosporium clarosporoides, Alternaria tenuis, Penicillium mix, Aspergillus mix, cat dander, dog dander, milk, egg white, soy and shrimp. Positive skin test reactivity was defined as a mean wheal diameter > or = 3 mm at the 20 minute reading.

A comparison of admission patterns of childhood asthma in 1982 and 1992.

The patterns of childhood asthma admission to the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University in 1982 and 1992 were studied and compared. The number of childhood asthma admissions were 128 cases in 1982 an 132 cases in 1992. Male to female ratio changed from 1.

Cold urticaria in Thai children: comparison between cyproheptadine and ketotifen in the treatment.

The study was performed in 6 Thai children with primary acquired cold urticaria. They all suffered from generalized urticaria and two of them also had angioedema. All of them had normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate, complement 3 and negative VDRL, TPHA, hepatitis B screen and cold agglutinin titer.

Theophylline pharmacokinetics in Thai children.

To validate a previously suggested dosing regimen of aminophylline administration for Thai children, we enrolled 13 asthmatic Thai children (5 girls and 8 boys) between the ages of 7.5-13.4 years (mean = 10.

Nebulized salbutamol (Asmasal) in Thai children with asthma: comparison of three doses.

Eleven moderate-to-severe asthmatic children 5-11 years of age who were in stable condition were given (randomly, double-blind) nebulized salbutamol sulfate (Asmasal) inhalation therapy at doses of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.

Ice cube test in children with cold urticaria.

The ice cube test performed in 24 children (6 cold urticaria, 6 healthy, 6 allergic and 6 chronic urticaria) showed that a 3 and 5-minute ice cube test was the appropriate time for the diagnosis of cold urticaria without false positive results. If the test was prolonged to 10 and 20 minutes, 17% and 33% respectively showed false positive results in chronic urticaria other than cold urticaria patients. After four weeks of cyproheptadine therapy, the ice cube test showed only 17% positive at 3 minutes and 33% at 5 minutes.

Clinical evaluation of the "Siriraj Spacer" in asthmatic Thai children.

We designed a new, washable, and collapsible bag spacer (the Siriraj Spacer) for use with metered-dose inhalers (MDI) by Thai asthmatic patients. The Siriraj Spacer consists of a mouthpiece, a front panel to which any type of MDI could be attached and a collapsible 800 mL ringed-plastic bag. Fifteen asthmatic children (6-13 years of age) were enrolled into a randomized, double-blind, triple crossover study (spanning a period of three days) to compare the clinical effectiveness of the Siriraj Spacer with that of the Volumatic Spacer (Glaxo, Inc.

Sinusitis in Thai asthmatic children.

The radiographic appearance of sinuses was studied in 146 Thai asthmatic patients aged 1-13 years. Forty-eight percent of cases showed sinusitis by the radiographic criteria. The maxillary sinus was most commonly involved (98.

Suppressive effects of histamine skin reactivity by a nonsedating antihistamine-mequitazine.

The suppressive activity of mequitazine (MQZ) on histamine skin reactivity was evaluated in 29 healthy subjects (age 22-25 years) in a single-blind study. Fifteen subjects received MQZ, at a dosage of 5 mg BID, for 7 days while 14 served as controls. A prick skin test with saline or histamine hydrochloride (1 mg/ml and 10 mg/ml) was performed in duplicate, on both forearms, starting from the baseline day and continuing for 4 days after medication had been discontinued (total of 11 days).

The role of disodium cromoglycate-metered dose aerosol inhaler in the management of asthma in Thai children.

Metered dose aerosol inhaler of disodium cromoglycate (Intal) has been recently introduced to facilitate the ease of administration of the drug over its previous spincap formulation. We evaluated the efficacy of regular use of metered dose inhaler of disodium cromoglycate (DSCG-MDI) in the daily management of Thai asthmatic children. The study comprised nineteen children with the age range of 8-15 years (mean 11.

Wheat-induced anaphylaxis.

A 13 year old boy suffered two separate episodes of severe anaphylaxis after consuming sandwiches and a piece of bread. Prick skin testings with available food allergens only revealed a positive reaction to a 1:10 w/v of wheat flour extract. A diagnosis of wheat-induced anaphylaxis was made and a double blind food challenge was suggested however was declined by the family.

Childhood asthma in Thailand.

Asthma is common in Thai children with a prevalence of about 4%. A prospective study of 2,000 Thai asthmatic children showed boys to be more frequently affected than girls, and fifty percent of patients experienced their first attack within the first 2 years of life. Attacks usually occurred in winter and the rainy season.

Pharmacokinetics of oral theophylline in Thai asthmatic children.

Pharmacokinetic studies of theophylline were carried out in 12 Thai asthmatic children after oral administration of Elixir Quibron and Tablet Aminophylline. No significant differences in any of the pharmacokinetic parameters between these two dosage forms were observed. Peak serum concentrations of theophylline were reached in an average time of 3.

Asthma in Thai children: a study of 2000 cases.

Two thousand Thai children with asthma were studied prospectively. Boys were more frequently affected than girls, with the ratio of 1.54:1.

Protective value of BCG vaccination in children in Bangkok, Thailand.

The protective effect of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination against tuberculosis is controversial. In a study, 330 patients less than 12 years of age with tuberculosis, 52.1% of whom had had BCG vaccination, were compared with a control group of 1106 patients free of tuberculosis, 81% of whom had BCG vaccination.

Urticaria in Thai children.

In this study, 142 patients under 12 years of age with the diagnosis of urticaria accompanied or not by angioedema were examined. In all 72.6% of the patients were under 6 years of age.