Asthma in Pediatric Scenarios and Links with Anxiety
摘要
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by increased bronchial reactivity and variable reversible bronchoconstriction, recognized as the most common chronic disease in children. Asthma treatment entails maintenance therapy and reliever therapy. Both children’s and parental anxiety have been recognized as an important treatable trait in asthma, affecting asthma control and the exacerbation of symptoms. The chapter explains how asthma may affect anxiety but also how anxiety may affect asthma control, leading to poor compliance with treatment, more frequent exacerbations, and increased use of medical help. The chapter further explains the pathophysiology of various endogenous mechanisms but also how asthma may negatively impact physical activity and quality of life in asthma patients. Finally, the chapter addresses parental anxiety that significantly impacts children’s asthma management, leading to poorer medication compliance and control, with an emphasis on epigenetic mechanisms that are also taken into consideration.