Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Medical Journal logoLink to British Medical Journal
. 1980 Jun 14;280(6229):1397–1400. doi: 10.1136/bmj.280.6229.1397

The natural history of childhood asthma to adult life.

A J Martin, L A McLennan, L I Landau, P D Phelan
PMCID: PMC1601770  PMID: 7427131

Abstract

A randomly selected group of 331 children who had started to wheeze in childhood and a control group of 77 children were prospectively studied clinically and physiologically from 7 to 21 years of age. Most subjects improved during adolescence and about 55% of those whose wheezing had started before 7 years and stopped before adolescence remained wheeze free. Forty-five per cent of subjects who had apparently ceased to wheeze at 14 years had minor recurrences of wheezing between 14 and 21 years of age. Fewer than 20% of those with persistent symptoms in childhood had become totally wheeze free during adolescence, although there was amelioration in symptoms. Girls did less well during adolescence than boys, so that there was no longer an increased preponderance of boys with increasing severity of asthma. Normal growth was achieved in all grades despite the persistence of symptoms in many cases. At 21 years of age features of airways obstruction were often found during an interval phase, especially in those who had more persistent symptoms.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. BARR L. W., LOGAN G. B. PROGNOSIS OF CHILDREN HAVING ASTHMA. Pediatrics. 1964 Dec;34:856–860. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blair H. Natural history of childhood asthma. 20-year follow-up. Arch Dis Child. 1977 Aug;52(8):613–619. doi: 10.1136/adc.52.8.613. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Buffum W. P., Settipane G. A. Prognosis of asthma in childhood. Am J Dis Child. 1966 Sep;112(3):214–217. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1966.02090120082007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hauspie R., Susanne C., Alexander F. A mixed longitudinal study of the growth in height and weight in asthmatic children. Hum Biol. 1976 May;48(2):271–283. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hauspie R., Susanne C., Alexander F. Maturational delay and temporal growth retardation in asthmatic boys. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1977 Mar;59(3):200–206. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(77)90150-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Johnstone D. E. A study of the natural history of bronchial asthma in children. Am J Dis Child. 1968 Feb;115(2):213–216. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1968.02100010215010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. McNichol K. N., Williams H. E., Allan J., McAndrew I. Spectrum of asthma in children. 3. Psychological and social components. Br Med J. 1973 Oct 6;4(5883):16–20. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5883.16. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. McNichol K. N., Williams H. E. Spectrum of asthma in children. II. Allergic components. Br Med J. 1973 Oct 6;4(5883):12–16. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5883.12. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mcnicol K. N., Macnicol K. N., Williams H. B. Spectrum of asthma in children. I. Clinical and physiological components. Br Med J. 1973 Oct 6;4(5883):7–11. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5883.7. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Peckham C., Butler N. A national study of asthma in childhood. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1978 Jun;32(2):79–85. doi: 10.1136/jech.32.2.79. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. RACKEMANN F. M., EDWARDS M. C. A follow-up study of 688 patients after an interval of twenty years. N Engl J Med. 1952 May 22;246(21):815–contd. doi: 10.1056/NEJM195205222462104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. RYSSING E. Continued follow-up investigation concerning the fate of 298 asthmatic children. Acta Paediatr. 1959 May;48(3):255–260. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Schachter J., Higgins M. W. Median age at onset of asthma and allergic rhinitis in Tecumseh, Michigan. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1976 Apr;57(4):342–351. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(76)90091-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Williams H. E., Phelan P. D. The natural history of childhood asthma through adolescence. Aust Paediatr J. 1977 Jun;13(2):88–90. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1977.tb01130.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Williams H., McNicol K. N. Prevalence, natural history, and relationship of wheezy bronchitis and asthma in children. An epidemiological study. Br Med J. 1969 Nov 8;4(5679):321–325. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5679.321. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES