According to a study published in the ‘Journal of Asthma’, recurrent lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) and LRTI hospitalizations before the age of 2 years are associated with earlier diagnosis of asthma in children. This was a retrospective cohort study which included data from 38441 participants, to assess children between 0-2 years with hospital visits due to LRTI and acute gastroenteritis (AGE).

The key results were as follows:

• Children with ≥3 LRTI visits had an 80% decrease in median time to asthma diagnosis compared to those with AGE visits only.
• Children with ≥3 LRTI hospitalizations had a 98% reduction in median time to asthma diagnosis relative to those with AGE hospitalizations only.
• History of atopy, wheezing, and family history of asthma identified before 2 years of age was also associated with early diagnosis of asthma.

In conclusion, the results of the study indicated that recurrent LRTIs, LRTI hospitalizations, documentation of asthma symptom history and family history prior to 2 years of age, associated with  early diagnosis of pediatric asthma.