International consensus on (ICON) pediatric asthma

N. G. Papadopoulos*, H. Arakawa, K. H. Carlsen, A. Custovic, J. Gern, R. Lemanske, P. Le Souef, M. Mäkelä, G. Roberts, G. Wong, H. Zar, C. A. Akdis, L. B. Bacharier, E. Baraldi, H. P. Van Bever, J. De Blic, A. Boner, W. Burks, T. B. Casale, J. A. Castro-RodriguezY. Z. Chen, Y. M. El-Gamal, M. L. Everard, T. Frischer, M. Geller, J. Gereda, D. Y. Goh, T. W. Guilbert, G. Hedlin, P. W. Heymann, S. J. Hong, E. M. Hossny, J. L. Huang, D. J. Jackson, J. C. De Jongste, O. Kalayci, N. Aït-Khaled, S. Kling, P. Kuna, S. Lau, D. K. Ledford, S. I. Lee, A. H. Liu, R. F. Lockey, K. Lãdrup-Carlsen, J. Lötvall, A. Morikawa, A. Nieto, H. Paramesh, R. Pawankar, P. Pohunek, J. Pongracic, D. Price, C. Robertson, N. Rosario, L. J. Rossenwasser, P. D. Sly, R. Stein, S. Stick, S. Szefler, L. M. Taussig, E. Valovirta, P. Vichyanond, D. Wallace, E. Weinberg, G. Wennergren, J. Wildhaber, R. S. Zeiger

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

337 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Asthma is the most common chronic lower respiratory disease in childhood throughout the world. Several guidelines and/or consensus documents are available to support medical decisions on pediatric asthma. Although there is no doubt that the use of common systematic approaches for management can considerably improve outcomes, dissemination and implementation of these are still major challenges. Consequently, the International Collaboration in Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (iCAALL), recently formed by the EAACI, AAAAI, ACAAI, and WAO, has decided to propose an International Consensus on (ICON) Pediatric Asthma. The purpose of this document is to highlight the key messages that are common to many of the existing guidelines, while critically reviewing and commenting on any differences, thus providing a concise reference. The principles of pediatric asthma management are generally accepted. Overall, the treatment goal is disease control. To achieve this, patients and their parents should be educated to optimally manage the disease, in collaboration with healthcare professionals. Identification and avoidance of triggers is also of significant importance. Assessment and monitoring should be performed regularly to re-evaluate and fine-tune treatment. Pharmacotherapy is the cornerstone of treatment. The optimal use of medication can, in most cases, help patients control symptoms and reduce the risk for future morbidity. The management of exacerbations is a major consideration, independent of chronic treatment. There is a trend toward considering phenotype-specific treatment choices; however, this goal has not yet been achieved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)976-997
Number of pages22
JournalAllergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Volume67
Issue number8
Early online date15 Jun 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2012

Keywords

  • Asthma
  • Children
  • Consensus
  • Guidelines
  • Wheeze

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