Asthma Clinical Features in Children Flashcards
Can you have asthma without a wheeze?
No, no wheeze then no asthma
What are common symptoms of asthma?
Wheeze
Cough
Shortness of breath
What are key things of asthma?
Variable/reversible
Multiple triggers
What are key things in the diagnosis of asthma?
Wheeze
Variability
Respond to treatment
What similarities are there between children and adult asthma?
Symptoms
Common
Same triggers
Same treatment
Same pathology
What are some differences between adults and childrens asthma?
Gender (prevalence in boys and girls)
Severe asthma
Occupational asthma uncommon in children
What is epidemiology?
Branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, distribution and possible control of diseases other factors relating to health
How many UK children suffer from asthma?
1 million children
How many children in Scotland suffer from asthma?
100,000 children
What percentage of UK children are on inhaled steroids?
5%
Where is asthma most common in the world?
Western countries, with the highest pervalence in the UK
What is aetiology?
The cause of disease
What can you say about the causes of asthma?
There are many, all leading to the same final common pathway to asthma
Why do people suffer from asthma at different stages of their lives?
It takes multiple hits to get above the threshold for clinical symptoms
What can you say about testing for asthma?
There is no definitive test for asthma
What is a wheeze the result of?
A narrowing airway due to:
Bronchoconstriction
Airway wall thickening
Luminal secretions
How good are patients, generally, at describing a wheeze?
Most do not know what it is, confusing it with rattle, stridor or stertor
When does shortness of breath at rest occur?
Due to significant respiratory difficulty (less than 30% of lung function) because of airway obstruction
What is the cough due to asthma usually like?
Dry and nocturnal
What are some triggers of asthma?
Viruses (rhinovirus in 75% of cases)
Exercise
Allergen
Cold air
Emotion
Menstruation
What is the most common virus to trigger asthma?
Rhinovirus (75% of cases)
What is atopy?
Genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases
What does a patient who is suffering from asthma, ideally, show?
Wheeze
Shortness of breath
Multitrigger
Sinusoidal
Atopy
Parental asthma
Responds to treatment
When someone is under 18 months, what are they likey suffering from?
Infection
When someone is over 5 years, what are they likely suffering from?
Asthma
What is something that sounds like asthma, and responds to asthma?
Asthma, regardless of age
What must happen after treatment for asthma?
There must be a response for it to be asthma
When it is not asthma, what could it be instead?
Bronchitis (2-3 years old, wet cough)
Pertussis (fits, vomits, haematoma)
Habitual cough (8 - 12 years old, single loud cough)
Tracheomalacia (lifelong loud cough)
Viral induced wheeze
Foreign body
Cystic fibrosis
Immune deficiency
Ciliary dyskinesia
What are symptoms of bronchitis?
Loose rattly cough
Chest free of wheeze
Noisy breathing
How long does bacterial bronchitis last?
More than 4 weeks
How does bacterial bronchitis progress each winter?
Gets better each winter
What are the arguements for arguing whether to treat or not treat bacterial bronchitis?
No treatment - self limiting
Treatment - quality of life, risk of diarrhoea
What is pertussis?
Whooping cough
How rare is whooping cough?
Common
What are symptoms of pertussis (whooping cough)?
Coughing fits
Vomiting
Colour change
Petechiae
What is petechiae?
Tiny red, purple or brown spots on the skin
