Critical evaluation of prognostic factors in childhood asthma.

Current knowledge of the natural history of asthma is improving through the establishment of a more precise definition of asthma linked with information from a number of large-scale longitudinal studies. Risk factors for the development of childhood asthma are now more clearly understood. They include gender, atopic status, genetic and familial factors, respiratory infections, and outdoor and indoor pollution (1). In the present review two types of asthma and their prognosis will be discussed: (1) Asthma in preschool children and its risk factors for evolution towards persistent childhood asthma. (2) Asthma in older children and its risk factors for evolution towards adult asthma.