Possible presence of undiagnosed asthma in children in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Asthma diagnosis in children is occasionally challenging, and the issue of undiagnosed asthma before adolescence has been poorly studied in Japan. The present study was conducted to investigate the possible presence of undiagnosed asthma in the general population of children living in a rural area of Japan. METHODS: The participants comprised 120 fourth graders aged 9-10 years (boys/girls: 63/57) attending five elementary schools in Yawatahama, Ehime, Japan. All the children underwent respiratory function tests and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements. Based on the results of a questionnaire, the children were also categorized into groups depending on their allergic diseases.The authors assessed the results of both the respiratory function tests and the FeNO measurements for children who were classified into the nonallergic group. RESULTS: A total of 76 (63%) children, who completed the tests appropriately, were included in the analysis. According to the report, among the 24 children in the nonallergic group, six (25%) showed abnormalities in respiratory tests. One had an abnormal % forced vital capacity (%FVC; <80%), three had abnormalities in both forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1)/FVC (<80%) and % maximal mid-expiratory flow (<65%), three had concave flow-volume curves, and one had a high FeNO measurement (41 ppb). CONCLUSION: A certain proportion of Japanese elementary school children, categorized as having no allergy, showed respiratory function test abnormalities. A follow-up study is needed to determine the prognosis and outcomes of the children with these abnormalities.

Possible presence of undiagnosed asthma in children in Japan

Background: Asthma diagnosis in children is occasionally challenging, and the issue of undiagnosed asthma before adolescence has been poorly studied in Japan. The present study was conducted to investigate the possible presence of undiagnosed asthma in the general population of children living in a rural area of Japan. Methods: The participants comprised 120 fourth graders aged 9–10 years (boys/girls: 63/57) attending five elementary schools in Yawatahama, Ehime, Japan. All the children underwent respiratory function tests and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements. Based on the results of a questionnaire, the children were also categorized into groups depending on their allergic diseases. The authors assessed the results of both the respiratory function tests and the FeNO measurements for children who were classified into the nonallergic group. Results: A total of 76 (63%) children, who completed the tests appropriately, were included in the analysis. According to the report, among the 24 children in the nonallergic group, six (25%) showed abnormalities in respiratory tests. One had an abnormal % forced vital capacity (%FVC; <80%), three had abnormalities in both forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1)/FVC (<80%) and % maximal mid-expiratory flow (<65%), three had concave flow–volume curves, and one had a high FeNO measurement (41 ppb). Conclusion: A certain proportion of Japanese elementary school children, categorized as having no allergy, showed respiratory function test abnormalities. A follow-up study is needed to determine the prognosis and outcomes of the children with these abnormalities (AU)

Administration of the adrenaline auto-injector at the nursery/kindergarten/school in Western Japan

BACKGROUND: In view of the increasing prevalence of food allergies, there has been an associated increase in frequency of situations requiring an emergency response for anaphylaxis at the home, childcare facilities and educational institutions. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the situation of adrenaline auto-injector administration in nursery/kindergarten/school, we carried out a questionnaire survey on pediatric physicians in Western Japan. METHODS: In 2015, self-reported questionnaires were mailed to 421 physicians who are members of the West Japan Research Society Pediatric Clinical Allergy and Shikoku Research Society Pediatric Clinical Allergy. RESULTS: The response rate was 44% (185 physicians) where 160 physicians had a prescription registration for the adrenaline auto-injector. In the past year, 1,330 patients were prescribed the adrenaline auto-injector where 83 patients (6% of the prescribed patients) actually administered the adrenaline auto-injector, of which 14 patients (17% of the administered patients) self-administered the adrenaline auto-injector. “Guardians” at the nursery/kindergarten and elementary school were found to have administered the adrenaline auto-injector the most. Among 117 adrenaline auto-injector prescription-registered physicians, 79% had experienced nonadministration of adrenaline auto-injector at nursery/kindergarten/school when anaphylaxis has occurred. The most frequent reason cited for not administering the adrenaline auto-injector was “hesitation about the timing of administration.” CONCLUSION: If the adrenaline auto-injector was administered after the guardian arrived at the nursery/kindergarten/school, it may lead to delayed treatment of anaphylaxis in which symptoms develop in minutes. Education and cooperation among physicians and nursery/kindergarten/school staff will reduce the number of children suffering unfortunate outcomes due to anaphylaxis.