title: [Advocating the diagnostic criteria for early stage of asthma].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In asthmatic patients, first asthmatic symptoms are not often typical. In those cases, it takes long time before asthma diagnosis, and the severities are progressed in some patients. For early intervention, we tried to make the diagnostic criteria for asthma, which are useful to diagnose as early stage of asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and eighty eight of asthmatic patients, who were recorded first their symptoms in asthma, were enrolled. Their first symptoms and examinations were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In first asthmatic symptoms, 79% of patients had cough, 68% patients had wheezing, 49% patients had dyspnoea, and 15% of patients did not have typical asthmatic symptoms in the early stage. The percentages of abnormal in first examinations were 99% in airway hypersensitivity, 92% of low %V25, 82% of eosinophila in sputum and 77% of low %V50. Low FEV1% and reversible airway obstruction were not seen in a lot of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We advocate that the diagnostic criteria for early stage of asthma are the following three elements. First criterion is spasmodic cough, wheezing and dyspnoea. Second criterion is airway hypersensitivity, or over 3% of eosinophils in sputum, or under 70% of %V50, or under 50% of %V25, or effect of bronchodilator. Effect of bronchodilator will be required, when the symptom is cough only. Third criterion is the exclusion of other lung and heart diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University. sugiyama@dokkyomed.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kumiya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sagara
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Minoguchi
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Kouhei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsurikisawa
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Munakata
authors.forename: Junpei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Suguru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Michiaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mishima
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niimi
authors.forename: Hisako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagase
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Shin-ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kagami
authors.forename: Itsuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuda
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged