CHILDHOOD ASTHMA AND ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS

Bronchial asthma is the most common chronic respiratory illness in chi ldhood. It is characterized by paroxysmal bronchospastic periods. Ther e are many studies giving reasons to explain the bronchospasm periods. One of the reasons, atmospheric conditions, is effective in creating a clinical picture of asthmatic patients. In the present study, the co rrelation between atmospheric conditions and asthmatic symptoms in chi ldren was investigated using peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) as the r espiratory function test. Twenty-one children with bronchial asthma we re monitored in the study. They were followed as outpatients of the Eg e University Medical Faculty, Department of Pediatric Allergy and Pneu motology, between November 1993 and June 1994. Atmospheric conditions were recorded from the local meteorology center. Complaints and the PE FR of children were compared with the meteorological data. Asthmatic s ymptoms were increased by low temperatures in all asthmatic children. An increase was detected in the extrinsic group by relative humidity a nd ratio of cloud, but in the intrinsic group only by relative humidit y.