Asthma and wheezy bronchitis in a British national sample.

The relationship between biosocial factors and childhood asthma and wheezy bronchitis in a British national sample was examined. At age 11, 3 1/2% of the children in this sample were reported to have suffered from either asthma or asthma-wheezy bronchitis; an additional 8.8% reported wheezy bronchitis without asthma. Significantly more boys than girls had asthma at this age. The presence of asthma and wheezy bronchitis was found to associate with parental occupation, household amenities, and noncrowding in the home, as well as to vary by geographic region. Discriminant analysis showed that it was possible to differentiate between the three groups comprising asthma and wheezy bronchitis, wheezy bronchitis only, and nonsufferers, due mainly to allergy-related factors such as eczema.