title: Asthma in schoolchildren. Demographic associations and peak expiratory flow rates compared in children with bronchitis.
abstract: The frequency of asthma in 10 971 school-children between the ages of 5 and 14 years was reported by their parents to be 3-8%. Of these, 20-7% were said to have had bronchitis, 5-9% pneumonia, and 4-7% eczema. Asthma was reported more commonly in boys than girls and was greatest in children of social classes I and II. One-third of the children were reported to have their first attack before the age of 2 years. Few (18%) first attacks started after the age of 5 years. There was no evidence that bronchitis predisposed to the later development of asthma, or vice versa. Within each age-sex group children with a history of asthma had lower peak expiratory flow rates than children who gave no such history. These diffences in PEFR were greater than for children with a history of bronchitis.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004485:Eczema / Q000453:epidemiology; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class