Asthma in infants and children--treatment of childhood asthma: Part II.

The various features of bronchial asthma as it pertains to infants and children are reviewed. Childhood asthma ranks among the most common causes of ill health and creates a myriad of physical and emotional problems for the child. Rarely, it may lead to death. Various anatomic and physiologic differences in children account for the increased risk to symptomatic airway obstruction and poor response to bronchodilators. Other features of childhood asthma that differ from adult asthma including the prognosis, differential diagnosis, and complications are discussed. The authors' views of the general principles, specific therapy, pharmacologic measures, and a self-management intervention program for the management of the pediatric patient with asthma are presented.