Childhood asthma: causes, epidemiological factors and complications.

Asthma is common in children and its prevalence in this age group is increasing. While the reasons for this reported increase, and indeed the true magnitude of the increase, remain unclear, there can be no doubt that asthma is now a major health problem in children worldwide. Fortunately, our knowledge of the pathophysiology of asthma is also increasing. It is now known that asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease regulated by a variety of mediators, of which perhaps the leukotrienes are among the most important. This new understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease has spurred the development of the antileukotriene agents, which can be expected to play an increasingly important role in the management of childhood asthma.