Current Approach to Asthma Treatment in Children Aged Five Years and Younger

Abstract Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and chronic airway inflammation. Diagnosis of asthma inchildren aged five years and younger is mostly based on the symptom pattern, the presence of risk factors for asthma development and the benefit of therapeutic treatment.The goals of asthma management are to achieve good symptom control, to minimize complaints and rescue medication requirements, to improve quality of life, to maintain respiratory functions at normal levels. According to asthma guidelines, low-dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy is the first recommended treatment in patients with asthma and early treatment provides a more pronounced improvement in lung function