BURDEN OF WHEEZING ILLNESS AMONG US CHILDREN REPORTED BY PARENTS NOT TO HAVE ASTHMA

We examined the 12-month prevalence of asthma and wheezing among U.S. children and compared the illness-related burden of children who wheez ed with and without an asthma diagnosis. Data were obtained in a cross -sectional telephone survey that tested the performance of a health in terview designed to identify children with chronic health conditions. Respondents were 712 primary caretakers of 1388 children under 18 year s old in a national probability sample selected by random-digit dialin g. Although 51 children identified with asthma and wheezing had more e pisodes, sleep disturbances, and attacks that limited speech, and rece ived more medical treatment for wheezing than 69 children with wheezin g alone, the ''undiagnosed'' children appeared to be only somewhat les s affected by their wheezing. Repeat episodes and burden experienced b y children with wheezing alone suggest that the asthma prevalence may be underestimated if based only on the diagnostic label.