DAY-CARE AND ASTHMA MORBIDITY

An association between attendance at day care centres and lower respir atory symptoms among pre-school asthmatic children who were attending follow-up appointments at a specialist respiratory outpatient clinic w as studied. Parents of 69 children completed a questionnaire. Because of the variation in the age distribution of the two groups, analysis w as restricted to children aged 2-4 years old, results from 49 children were analysed. Cough, wheeze at night and wheeze on waking occurred s ignificantly more frequently in the two weeks prior to clinic visits a mong asthmatics attending day care. Among asthmatic children requiring specialist outpatient follow up, those attending day care are more li kely to be troubled by lower respiratory symptoms than those looked af ter at home.