title: Advances in childhood asthma: hygiene hypothesis, natural history, and management.
abstract: There is significant interest in early identification and intervention in childhood asthma. Current asthma guidelines identify inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) as the preferred initial long-term control therapy even in young children. ICS clearly improve asthma control in children with mild to moderate persistent asthma, but it is not clear that they can alter the natu-ral history and progression of asthma. New insights regarding the origins of asthma and allergy and their natural history will continue to stimulate questions regarding the appropriate time for intervention and will stimulate the design of new treatment strategies and the discovery of new medications.
authors.affiliation: National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Stanley J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Szefler
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D006920:Hygiene; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D006854:Hydrocortisone