TY - JOUR T1 - Recurrent wheeze in children with Down syndrome: Is it asthma? JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 38 IS - Suppl 55 SP - p1135 AU - Michel Weijerman AU - Paul Brand AU - Marceline van Furth AU - Chantal Broers AU - Reinout Gemke Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/38/Suppl_55/p1135.abstract N2 - Background: Clinical experience shows that wheeze is common in children with Down syndrome (DS), but that treatment with anti-asthmatic drugs is usually disappointing.Aim: To compare the prevalence of current wheeze in children with DS, their siblings, and general population controls.Methods: This was a case control study in which the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood questionnaire for respiratory symptoms was completed by parents for 130 children with DS and 167 of their siblings, and for 119 age and sex matched control subjects from the general population.Results: Both wheeze ever and wheeze during the last 12 months was more commonly reported in DS than in their siblings or controls. The relative risk (RR) of current wheeze in DS was 2.8 (95% CI 1.42-5.51) compared to siblings, and 2.75 (95% CI 1.28-5.88) compared to controls. Children with DS were less likely to have received a doctor's diagnosis of asthma (3.1%) than siblings (4.2%) or controls (6.7%, p=0.04). During 4-yr follow-up, the diagnosis of asthma was confirmed in none of the 24 DS children with current wheeze, and atopy was found in none of them. Chronic rhinitis occurred more frequently in children with DS (40%) than in their siblings (17.3%); eczema did not (14.6 vs 19.2%).Conclusion: Wheeze is common in children with DS. This is likely to be related to factors specific for DS, and probably unrelated to asthma. ER -