The expert told about new methods of diagnosing asthma in children

The Sechenov Center for Maternity and Childhood uses innovative technologies to diagnose asthma in children from an early age and creates new tools for determining the disease. This was told to "Izvestia" by Natalia Geppe, Director of the Clinic of Children's Diseases of the Sechenov Center for Maternity and Childhood, Head of the Department of Children's Diseases of Sechenov University, pediatrician, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, on the eve of the World Day against Bronchial Asthma, which is celebrated on December 11.

In children, allergic disorders, including asthma, occur in 25-30% of cases. Most patients develop bronchial asthma between the ages of five and six, when they are exposed to bronchial obstruction (difficulty breathing with prolonged exhalation and wheezing) due to infections. As a consequence, the main difficulty is to determine that the child has asthma.

The classical method, which helps to measure lung volumes and other indicators - spirometry - is suitable only for children from the age of six: "a small child simply will not be able to do all the necessary maneuvers - you need to take a very deep breath and exhale, exhale, exhale as long as possible," explained Geppe.

For this reason, the center uses new technologies. The clinic director said that together with scientists from Sechenov University and Bauman Moscow State Technical University a new device for early diagnosis of bronchial asthma was created - a respiratory sound recorder. The device not only allows to divide exhaled sound waves into oscillations, but also registers oscillations, calculates their severity and displays the data in the form of an image. This allows an objective assessment of all respiratory disorders. Such an examination can be done from the first years and even months of life.

At the moment register the device capillaroscope. "With its help, you can understand how well the blood delivers oxygen to the smallest vessels - capillaries. After all, when bronchial patency is disturbed, it affects the oxygen supply to the entire body. The device allows to detect the risk of bronchial asthma at the earliest stages and even before the appearance of clinical symptoms", - explained the professor.

To assess the performance of the instrument, the staff conducted a study involving more than 500 children.

In addition, doctors conduct an allergy examination of the child to determine to which allergens he or she is sensitive.

Also, the Sechenov Center for Motherhood and Childhood has organized an Asthma School, where doctors work not only with children, but also with their parents.

"We explain how to breathe properly, do inhalations, behave during an attack, control allergic exposure. It is necessary to know what there are precursors of exacerbation, in order to start treatment in time. For example, if a viral infection has joined, increase the dose of controlling anti-asthmatic drugs for a while," Geppe said.

According to her, one to three meetings with a patient are enough to uncover gaps in knowledge and fill them. If parents and children forget something, they can go back to the lessons, there are videos and printed materials for this purpose.

The professor said that the staff has published a book, Cough Trajectory, and the school is in the process of registering as a separate program. This is necessary so that doctors in different regions can use it on a permanent basis in work with children with bronchial asthma.

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