Childhood asthma – how to recognize and treat?

Asthma in children up to 5 years of age is a disease that is diagnosed on the basis of the clinical symptoms of bronchial obstruction, such as: wheezing, cough and shortness of breath of variable intensity and duration, clinically proven reversibility of obstruction and clinical improvement after chronic use of inhaled glucocorticosteroids and lack of grounds for suspecting causes of obstruction other than asthma. Treatment of childhood asthma is a graded therapy with a range of intensity to control the course of the disease and the main form of treatment is inhalation therapy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to continue treatment in accordance with the previously adopted principles, including the use of inhaled glucocorticosteroids.