Preschool Wheeze: A Retrospective and Nested Case Control Analysis in a Cohort of Egyptian Children

Abstract

SUMMARY P revalence of recurrent wheeze in the preschool age was reported to affect one third of children in the developed world, with even more frequency and severity in the developing countries. Nearly 50% of all preschool children experience at least one episode of wheezing before 6 years of age and up to 40% of these children have recurrent wheezing episodes during early life. Epidemiological studies on this subject in Egypt are lacking. In this retrospective cohort study, we have investigated the frequency and different phenotypes of preschool wheezes (PSW) among a group of Egyptian children and their relation to different risk factors. The study was survey based, conducted on 1209 children, aged between 6 and 10 years, recruited from the Outpatients’ Clinics of Ain Shams University Hospitals from March 2019 to March 2021. Children with underlying chronic disease or suspected to be immunodeficient were excluded. The survey composed of 30 questions included sociodemographic data details of wheezing episodes before the age of 6, wheezing risk factors and comorbidities. The investigator was responsible for interviewing the parents/caregivers. Full physical examination was applied to assess anthropometric measures, signs of respiratory disease, manifestations of allergic disease like allergic rhinitis, eczema, urticaria, …etc.