Objective:

In this study, we aimed to investigate wheezing etiology, risk factors of the patients who were 0-5 years of age and had at least 3 episodes of wheezing, in which the first episode is at 1-18 months of age.

Material and Methods:

The hospital files of 239 patients who were diagnosed as wheezy child, between 2010-2012, at Pediatric Allergy Department, were reviewed retrospectively. The laboratory findings, demographic features and attack triggers were recorded.

Results:

The mean age of first wheezing was 7.69±4.72 months, ranging from 1-18 months. The mean wheezing episode was 6.74. The male/female ratio was 162/77. Gastrooesophageal reflux was diagnosed in 14 (5.9%) patients. Exposure to smoke was 56.9%, dampness at home was 28.5%, pet at home was 1.3%. 25.9% of houses had stoves and 74.1% had central-heating. Family history for atopy was present in 46%. Atopy was investigated in 132 of 239 patients. Skin prick test was performed in 80 (33.5%) patients, and in 52 (21.7%) patients serum spesific IgE levels were investigated. According to skin prick tests, the patients were sensitive to 45.6% house dust mites, 32.9% grass pollens, 31.6% tree pollens, 6.3% animal danders and 1.3% egg white. 40.4% (21) of 52 patients that were tested with spesific IgE were found atopic, which is the 8.7% of the whole patients. In spesific IgE tests 26.9% were sensitive to egg-white, 19.2% to cow’s milk and 11.5% to house dust mites. Common cold was the major trigger of wheezing episode in 229 (95.8%) patients. No significant difference was found between the clinical features, progress and prescribed therapies in atopic and non-atopic patients in our study.

Conclusion:

Exploring the etiology of wheezy children is important for prognosis. Early treatment plays an important role to prevent irreversible damage in the airways of atopic wheezers.

Keywords: Wheezing, atopy, phenotype