Investigation of Trigger Factors and Clinical Characteristics in Children with Asthma

Year 2012, Volume: 13 Issue: 3, 13 - 17, 01.12.2012

Gülçin Bozkurt Suzan Yıldız Haluk Çokuğraş

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed investigating of trigger factors and the clinical characteristics of children with asthma. MATERIALS and METHODS: The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 106 children with asthma attending the Child Allergy and Immunology Clinic of a Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul. RESULTS: It has been showed that factors triggering asthma in children were mite, pollens and smoking at home. It has been determined that children experienced symptoms of difficulty in breathing at night when they ran or had upper respiratory tract infections. 56,7% of children had less than one asthma symptom during the day per week in the last month, 63,2% had less than two symptoms at night per month, and 52,8% had awoken because of asthma symptoms in the last month. Common clinical symptoms of asthma were more prevalent during the day compared to night. CONCLUSION: Because the clinical symptoms at day were reported more frequently, which is in contrast with common knowledge, and the low number of child who take their medication regularly, we concluded that families did not have adequate information on the clinical presentation of asthma or followed the symptoms accurately.

Keywords

Child, asthma, symptoms

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• Yrd. Doç. Dr. Gülçin BOZKURT Ýstanbul Üniversitesi, Saðlýk Bilimleri Fakültesi, ÝSTANBUL, TÜRKÝYE E-Posta : [e-mail] Geliþ Tarihi Kabul Tarihi : 11.01. 2013