Clinical Diagnosis of Asthma in Children

Background Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disorder in childhood. Asthmatic attacks are described and classified according to the type of wheezing to Non atopic and Atopic asthma (IgE mediated wheezing). Objective The aim is to determine the onset of clinical diagnosis in relation to clinical presentation and of asthma in children in Jaafar Ibn-oaf and Ibrahim Malik teaching hospitals in Khartoum Capital of Sudan from May-July 2013. Materials and Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study. A 16-item self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 111 asthmatic patients at the largest two hospitals in Khartoum state. Participants were selected using convenience sampling method. Results 111 questionnaires were analyzed. the common age of onset of symptoms is less than 1 year 38.7 %, greater than 2 years 38.7 % and 1-2 years 22.5 %. the common age of diagnosis is 1-2 years 30.6 %, less than1 year 28.8 %, greater than3 years 26.1 %, 2-3 years 14.4 %. the common symptoms is cough 94.6 %, SOB 94.6 %, wheezes 82 %, fever 61.3 %, rhinorrhea 47.7 %, refuse feeding and or drinking 60.4 %. The most common aggravating factors are allergen 71.2 %, ARI 60.4 %, cold air 39.6 %, irritants 30.6 %, exercise 15.3 % and drugs 3.6 %. And there is strong family history of asthma and other allergies. Conclusion there is over-diagnosis of asthma due to the symptoms which mimic other respiratory infections. Common symptoms of asthma are cough, SOB and wheezes. And common aggravating factors are irritants and ARI.