A Prospective Study on Non‐IgE‐Mediated Asthma in Children

Abstract

From 1977 to 1980, seventy-two children were found to have intrinsic (non-IgE-mediated) asthma. Except for five patients, 4 boys and one girl, who apparently grew out of their asthma, the remaining 67 patients were followed for six years. During the study period, 12 patients, 10 boys and 2 girls, developed extrinsic (IgE-mediated) asthma. Nine of them (75%) had a positive family history of atopic disease, which was only the case in 12 (22%) of the patients who did not develop extrinsic disease. Hence, a change from intrinsic into extrinsic asthma is apparently common in boys, but seems to be rare in girls. In addition, in girls with intrinsic asthma, fixed or declining lung function tests followed by signs of pulmonary hyperinflation and lung fibrosis is common. Further, in the present series of children with intrinsic asthma, 5 patients, 4 girls and 1 boy, developed severe bronchiectasis. The majority of patients, who on repeated chest X-rays showed persistent hyperinflation of the lungs associated with fixed FEV1/FVC levels and a marked increase of serum IgG-concentrations were those at risk to develop severe lung disease.