Age-Dependent Prevalence of Persistent Wheezing Phenotypes in Romanian Children.

Presence of atopy is an essential element in the classification of childhood persistent wheezing. An association with specific periods of childhood has been described for wheezing phenotypes; however, differences in the prevalence of childhood wheezing phenotypes exist between differently developed regions of the world. We studied the relationship of blood immune parameters and wheezing phenotype with age in 44 Romanian children with recurrent wheezing or asthma admitted during a 24 months interval in a children's hospital either for investigations during stable respiratory state or for treatment during recurrence. White blood cells count and neutrophil count showed an increase in the first 3 years of age, followed by slight decrease after wards, while eosinophil count showed a continuous increase in the first decade of life in the studied group. The wheezing phenotype showed a similar age dependence: non-atopic wheezing was manifest during preschool years, while the atopic phenotype was detected at a higher age. The age dependence of blood immune parameters and wheezing phenotype in Romanian children with recurrent wheezing or asthma resemble those described for childhood persistent wheezing in developed regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]