Asthma im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Wheeze and asthma are the most common chronic diseases during childhood. Both during childhood as well as during adulthood, asthma seems to be not only one disease but many, thereby reflecting different phenotypes with possibly different underlying pathogenic mechanisms. Hence, a single "one-size-fits-all" approach for wheeze and asthma during childhood as well as adulthood regarding diagnosis and treatment seems difficult on one hand. On the other hand, however, wheeze and asthma therapy may be personalized, i.e., phenotype-specific. The following article presents some relevant concepts underlying different wheeze and asthma phenotypes, specific therapeutic approaches and important principles during childhood and adolescence.