[Diagnosis and treatment guidelines for difficult-to-control asthma in children].
Children suffering from difficult-to-control asthma (DCA) require frequent appointments with their physician, complex treatment regimes and often admissions to hospital. Less than 5% of the asthmatic population suffer this condition. DCA must be correctly characterised to rule out false causes of DCA and requires making a differential diagnosis from pathologies that mimic asthma, comorbidity, environmental and psychological factors, and analysing the factors to determine poor treatment compliance. In true DCA cases, inflammation studies (exhaled nitric oxide, induced sputum, broncho-alveolar lavage and bronchial biopsy), pulmonary function and other clinical aspects can classify DCA into different phenotypes which could make therapeutic decision-making easier.
Navarro Merino
M
M
Sección de Neumología Pediátrica, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla, España. mnavarro1@us.es
Andrés Martín
A
A
Asensio de la Cruz
O
O
García García
M L
ML
Liñán Cortes
S
S
Villa Asensi
J R
JR
D000465:Algorithms; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003663:Decision Trees; D006801:Humans