Asthma profile in children treated at the pulmological outpatient department of pediatric clinics of the clinical center of Sarajevo

Selma Dizdar¹*, Verica Mišanović¹, Danina Dohranović Tafro², Nedžla Polimac Sefo³

¹Paediatric Clinics of the Clinical Centre of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina

²Clinic of Lung Diseses and TB of the Clinical Centre of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina

³Clinic of Hematology of the Clinical Centre of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina

*Corresponding   Author   E-mail:   selma1.dizdar@gmail.com

Accepted 08 December, 2014

Abstract

Asthma is the most common chronic inflammatory condition of paediatric population, which inevitably leads to damage of pulmonary function, and in case of paediatric population at the same time disturbs normal development, due to the long duration and inadequate treatment. In certain cases, even when dealing with well managed asthma, on yearly bases we evidence pulmonary function damage in amount of 1% with male gender as predisposition and younger age at the moment of diagnosis. The aim of this paper is to determine frequency of  asthma compared to other conditions treated at the Pulmonology Outpatient Department of Paediatric Clinics of the Clinical Centre of Sarajevo, to demonstrate relation between classified category of asthma regarding age and gender, to establish link between values of pulmonary functions (PEF-a and FEV1) compared to classified asthma category. The conducted study is both epidemiological and clinical, and it contains manipulative, prospective investigation. Analytical and descriptive methods were used, and technique was based on use of questioners and pulmonary functions measurements for PEF and FEV 1. Study included total of 1100 children with diagnosed asthma who were monitored at the Pulmonology Outpatient Department in the period of 1^st January 2013 to 31^st December 2013. Participants were divided into two group with regard to the age (the first group were participants of age  3- 5 year and the second group age 5- 16 years).  With frequency of 32.8%, asthma  represented the most common chronic inflammatory disorder. Out of total 1100 participants 58% of them were males. The male predomination trend was evidenced in both groups of participants (the first group 52%, and in the second 61%). The most common classified category was for both groups of participants was persistent moderate asthma. X test established that there was much higher number of male participants (X= 8,202; df=2; p= 0.017), and older age (X= 13.98; df = 2; p= 0,001) classified into more severe asthma categories, while equal distribution of both genders and younger age were detected for milder asthma categories. To investigate variable differences PEF and FEV 1 compared to classified asthma category were used Kruskal- Wallis test, non-parametrical alternative test ANOV-I, and it is established that there is a statistically significant difference in PEF and  FEV 1 values compared to asthma classification category. With share of 32.8% asthma was the most common inflammatory disorder treated at our Outpatient Department.  Compared to total number of participants, male gender was more presented than female, and this trend is recorded in each of both groups of participants. Larger number of male participants and older age were classified into more sever groups of asthma, while equal distribution of female gender and younger age for milder classification groups of asthma. There is a statistically significant link between values of pulmonary functions and classification group of asthma.

Keywords: Asthma, children, clasffied category asthma