[Knowledge about infant asthma in medical students of Mérida, Yucatán, México]. / Conocimiento sobre asma infantil en estudiantes de medicina de Mérida, Yucatán, México.

146 undergraduate medical students at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán completed a questionnaire designed to measure knowledge about childhood asthma. Knowledge about asthma increased over each of the 7 years of the medical course, but the global qualification was lower their 60 points. The results suggest the necessity of implementation an educational program about childhood asthma.

[Development of a questionnaire to assess the knowledge on infantile++ asthma in medical students]. / Elaboración de un cuestionario para evaluar el conocimiento sobre el asma infantil en estudiantes de medicina.

Asthma is the most common chronic childhood illness. The increasing morbidity and mortality are striking contrast to major scientific advances in our understanding of asthma. It is now regarded as a chronic rather than a episodic illness and the major factors contributing to asthma morbidity and mortality are underdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. The majority of children with asthma are cared for by nonspecialist physicians. Studies have shown that only small proportions of practitioners have an adequate understanding of the changing concepts of asthma management. We development an asthma knowledge questionnaire based on "Guidelines and the Practice Parameters for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma" of The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The questionnaires include 25 questions on definition, physiopathology, diagnosis and treatment.

[Prevalence of asthma in schoolchildren in Merida, Yucatan]. / Prevalencia de asma en niños escolares de Mérida, Yucatán.

A survey was conducted in Merida, Yucatan, between February and June 1994 in order to determine the prevalence of asthma and the frequency of a family history of the disease in school-age children. A random sample was taken of 505 children of both sexes between the ages of 6 and 12 who were enrolled in elementary schools in the urban area of Merida. Every child's father or mother was surveyed and asked if the child had had recurrent episodes of loud, difficult breathing with wheezing chest sounds, if he or she had had bronchitis, asthmatiform bronchitis, or asthma, and if the mother, father, or any of the siblings had ever suffered from asthma. A total of 61 children with asthma (cumulative prevalence, 12%) was found. Among these children a history of maternal or paternal asthma was more frequent (25 and 18%, respectively) than in other children (10 and 6%, respectively), the difference being statistically significant (P < 0.002) in both cases. Results show the high prevalence of asthma in Merida and suggest that heredity plays a role in the development of the disease.

[Asthma: bronchial inflammation and hyperreactivity]. / Asma: inflamación e hiperreactividad bronquial.

There is not a clear definition of asthma, actually most of specialist consider to asthma how a reversible bronchial obstruction with an increased responsiveness (bronchial hyperreactivity, BHR), and inflammation. These inflammation can cause increase of the BHR and worseness the process. The new tendencies are to treat these BHR and control the two faces of asthma (early and late face). In the early or immediate face, bronchodilators are the most use full medicine meanwhile; the antiinflammatory drugs (sodium cromoglycate and inhaled steroids) are the best option for management of inflammation with reduction of BHR.

[Prevalence of asthma. Survey of a school population in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico]. / Prevalencia del asma. Encuesta en una población escolar de Villahermosa, Tabasco, México.

In the state of Tabasco, Mexico, there apparently exists a great demand for medical care in children with asthma, yet the exact number of children with this illness is unknown. This motivated us to survey the parents of 5,625 school children with ages ranging from 6 to 12 years old (2,386 girls and 2,789 boys) living in the city of Villahermosa, Tabasco. The study included 11% of the school children in the vicinity. The survey showed that 22.3% of the population of school children refer chronic or repetitive respiratory symptoms; 8.7% referred a diagnosis of asthma; 6.8% bronchitis; 2.3% asthmatic form bronchitis; and 3.9% symptoms suggestive of repeated bronchial obstruction.

[Use of sodium cromoglycate in nebulizations for asthmatic children less than 7 years of age]. / Uso de cromoglicato de sodio por nebulizaciones en niños asmáticos menores de siete años.

One of the new ways to treat the inter crisis of asthma, is the use of Cromolyn (SCG) in spray or in Rothaller and it's necessary that the patient help's in the cooperation to use this medication. Now with SCG in solution to nebulizer is easy to use this medication in young children. We studied 18 boys and girls in 5 different cities of the mexican Republic, all the patient were younger than 7 years old and had asthma, they received 20 mg. of SCG in nebulizer 4 time daily up to 12 weeks. At the end of the study we found that the symptoms and the use of symptomatic medication were reduce in important way with statistic significance. We conclude the use SCG in nebulizer is safety and efficacy to treat patient with chronic asthma.