Impact of demographic and environmental factors on bronchial asthma in children

ABSTRACT

Some personal, familial and environmental factors were studied in a group of 200 well diagnosed asthmatic children aged from one month to fifteen years, collected from the pediatric allergy outpatients clinic of Mansoura University Hospital to find out factors that contribute to the development, precipitation and aggravation of bronchial asthma. Male children were more affected than females as they represented 63.5%, 36.5% of the sample respectively. In both sexes, the disease was more frequent in children aged from two to four years [26.5%], but those who developed the disease in infancy had the highest severity. Positive personal history of allergic disease, past history of previous attacks of respiratory illness together with the pattern of nutriton in infancy were significantly related to the developement and aggravation of asthma. There was a significant association between parental consanguinity and family history of asthma and the occurrence of ashtma. Respiratory tract infection was the most important precipitating factor while house dust was the most common allergen precipitating asthmatic attacks and reaction in skin test