title: Childhood asthma at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi.
abstract: Between January 1986 and July 1988, 356 children with bronchial asthma below 14 years of age were evaluated at the Kenyatta National Hospital. 21.3% experienced initial asthmatic attacks before the age of six months and 55.1% before 2 years. Only 8% of the study patients were below the age of 2 years at recruitment. The male:female ratio was 1:1. Physical exercise led to precipitation or worsening of attacks in 43.4% while 71.6% of the patients experienced attacks in the evening or at night. 18.5% and 42.9% had personal history of atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis respectively. The study shows that a substantial number of patients experience initial asthmatic attacks before the age of 6 months contrary to what has been previously believed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Nairobi.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Macharia
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wafula
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Onyango
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D012720:Severity of Illness Index