title: Asthma across the ages: knowledge gaps in childhood asthma.
abstract: The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development convened an Asthma Group in response to the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act. The overall goal of the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act Program is to improve pediatric therapeutics through preclinical and clinical drug trials that lead to drug-labeling changes. Although significant advances have been made in the understanding and management of asthma in adults with appropriately labeled medications, less information is available on the management of asthma in children. Indeed, many medications are inadequately labeled for use in children. In general, the younger the child, the less information there is available to guide clinicians. Because asthma often begins in early childhood, it is incumbent on us to continue to address the primary questions raised in this review and carefully evaluate the medications used to manage asthma in children. Meanwhile, continued efforts should be made in defining effective strategies that reduce the risk of exacerbations. If the areas of defined need are addressed in the coming years, namely prevention of exacerbations and progression of disease, as well as primary intervention, we will see continuing reduction in asthma mortality and morbidity along with improved quality of life for children with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, National Jewish Health, and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colo. Electronic address: szeflers@njhealth.org.
authors.forename: Stanley J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Szefler
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Chmiel
authors.affiliation: Emory University Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Center for Developmental Lung Biology, Atlanta, Ga.
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Child Health and Development, Bethesda, Md.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giacoia
authors.affiliation: Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Ill.
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wis.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
authors.forename: Heber C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Phipatanakul
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM.
authors.forename: Hengameh H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Raissy
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Asthma; CO; Carbon monoxide; EBC; Exhaled breath condensate; Feno; Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide; HRV; Human rhinovirus; RBM; RSV; Respiratory syncytial virus; Reticular basement membrane; SARP; Severe Asthma Research Program; asthma biomarkers; asthma natural history; asthma pharmacotherapy; asthma progression; childhood asthma