Age-Dependent Prevalence of Persistent Wheezing Phenotypes in Romanian Children

Asthma is a heterogeneous group of disease entities with common characteristics such as intermittent respiratory symptoms (wheezing, tightness, cough, dyspnea), reversible airway obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness [1]. Wheezing, caused by airflow restriction through narrowed airways, is the main clinical sign associated with asthma.
Two concepts related to asthma are currently in a process of disentanglement: the concept of asthma phenotypes (particular clinical characteristics, without reference to the underlying pathologic process) and endotypes (pathological mechanisms of disease) [2]. The disentangling of asthma phenotypes and endotypes is important for the prediction of disease evolution and for accurate therapeutic action.