Authors performed a study to identify cases of late diagnosis of bronchial asthma (BA) in children. We examined 89 children in fact diagnosed with BA. We investigated the medical documentation of the patients (outpatient cards). A thorough analysis of medical documentation showed time period between the time of the actual diagnosis of asthma, and the time when the diagnosis was already evident. Among the study group of children for intermittent disease was observed in 33 (37 %) children, mild persistent – in 26 (29 %) children, moderate persistent – in 22 (25 %) children, severe persistent – in 8 (9 %) children. The duration of dispensary observation was on average 6,5 [4,5, 8,5] years. Early manifestations of allergy were observed in 78 (88 %) children, including atopic dermatitis to 1 year occurred in 56 (72 %) children, atopic dermatitis over 1 year – in 24 (31 %) children, drug allergy – in 17 (22 %) children, acute urticaria and angioedema – in 19 (24 %) of the children, contact dermatitis – in 11 (14 %) children. We found that the timely diagnosis of asthma (lag is not more than 6 months) occurred in a third of 29 children (33 %) patients. Untimely diagnosis was found in 60 (67 %) children. Lag the diagnosis of 6 months to 1 year was observed in 8 (13 %) of children, from 1 to 2 years – in 10 (17 %) of the children, from 2 to 3 years – in 9 (15 %) of the children, from 3 to 4 years – in 18 (30 %) of the children, from 4 to 5 years – in 7 (12 %) children, from 5 to 6 years – in 2 (3 %) of the children, from 6 to 7 years – in 3 (5 %) of the children, from 7 to 8 years – 2 (3 %) of the children, from 8 to 9 years – in 1 (2 %) child.
In summary, we found that the studied group of children characterized by intermittent course of the disease, early onset of allergic symptoms and delay in diagnosis of 3–4 years from the onset. To improving the situation we have initiated the creation of a universal computer program for the early diagnosis of asthma in children.
The work is submitted to the International Scientific Conference «Actual problems of science and education», France (Marseilles), June, 2-9, 2013, came to the editorial office оn 03.04.2013.