Echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac functions in mild asthmatic children

Aim: There is limited data about systolic and diastolic functions in asthmatic children. In this study, we aimed to determine systolic and diastolic functions of heart in mild asthmatic children.Materials and Methods: Ninety-five pediatric patients with bronchial asthma and 37 age-matched healty subjects were studied. All patients were followed-up in the Department of Pediatrics of Duzce Medical School. All subjects were examined by M-mode, 2-D echocardiography and pulsed Doppler methodsResults: Thirty-five (37%) of the patients were female and 60 (63%) were male. In the control grup 17 (46%) were female and 20 (54%) were male. Age average of patients was 6,9 ± 2,6 years and 7,5 ± 2,4 years in the control grup.Male patients? mean complaint period was 2,1 ± 0,8 years and female patients? was 1,9 ± 0,7 years. Eighty-four (88%) patients had mild intermittent asthma and 11 (12%) patients had mild persistent asthma.We found 49% (n: 38) asthma, 27% (n: 25) allergic rhinitis and 24% (n: 23) atopic dermatitis in our patients? families. In our study group we determined 63% (n: 63) allergic rhinitis, 18% (n: 17) atopic dermatitis, 7% (n: 7) allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis together and 7% (n: 7) gastroesophageal reflux (GER).Average of IgE in serum was 450 IU/ml in female patients and 540 IU/ml in male patients. Mean value of FEV1 of mild intermittent and mild persistent asthmatic patients were 84% ± 2 and 79% ± 3.We determined that right ventricular longitudinal and transvers end diastolic diameteres were increased, whereas right ventricular end diastolic volume was decreased. In addition, tricuspid valve deceleration time was delayed, pulmonary venous systolic movement 1 wave was decreased in asthmatic children. These differences were statistically significantConclusion: There were pathophysiological changes in lungs of mild asthmatic children. Patients also had right ventricular diastolic dysfunction. For this reason systolic and diastolic functions of heart must be continuously followed-up by echocardiographic and Doppler studies in every asthmatic children. Effective and successful management of the asthmatic children can be realized by periodic cardiologic evaluations. Echocardiography is a non-invazive, cheap and easy applied imaging method to follow-up asthmatic patients. Further echocardiographic investigations are required to support these findings.Key words: Child, bronchial asthma, echocardiography.