Current guidelines for asthma care categorize asthma severity based on the frequency of asthma symptoms, medication use, and lung function measures. The objective of this study was to determine whether lung function measures are consistent with levels of asthma severity as defined by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program/Expert Panel Report 2 Guidelines. Parents of children aged 5-18 years with asthma seen in two outpatient subspecialty clinics completed questionnaires regarding asthma medication use and symptom frequency over the preceding 1 and 4 weeks, respectively. All children performed spirometry. When asthma severity was based on the higher severity of asthma symptom frequency or medication use, asthma was mild intermittent in 6.9% of participants, mild persistent in 27.9%, moderate persistent in 22.4%, and severe persistent in 42.9%. FEV(1) % predicted did not differ by level of asthma severity. FEV(1)/FVC decreased as asthma severity increased (p < 0.0001) and was abnormal in 33% of the participants, and a greater percentage of participants had an abnormal FEV(1)/FVC as asthma severity increased (p = 0.0001). In children, asthma severity classified by symptom frequency and medication usage does not correlate with FEV(1) categories defined by National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Guidelines. FEV(1) is generally normal, even in severe persistent childhood asthma, whereas FEV(1)/FVC declines as asthma severity increases.

SUMMARYRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may have an effect on the development of T cell memory responses. RSV bronchiolitis in infants is associated with a transient decline in circulating lymphocytes. We hypothesized that the mechanism underlying this lymphopenia is apoptosis. Blood was taken from 32 infants during primary RSV bronchiolitis and three months later. Using flow cytometry, we found that absolute numbers of both CD3+/CD4+ T-helper lymphocytes ( P = 0·029) and CD3+/CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL) ( P = 0·043) were significantly reduced during acute infection. Up-regulated expression both of Fas ( P < 0·001) and tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor ( P < 0·001) was found during acute illness on both CD3+/CD4+ and CD3+/CD8+ lymphocytes, when compared with convalescent samples. Expression of Fas on CD4+ lymphocytes was inversely related to CD4+ number ( P = 0·03). Plasma levels of soluble Fas ligand ( P = 0·028) and caspase-1 ( P = 0·037), determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were increased during bronchiolitis. Plasma interleukin-18, a product of caspase-1 activity, was not raised. Taken together, these data suggest that in acute RSV infection, CD4+ helper lymphocytes and CD8+ cytotoxic lymphocytes are primed to undergo apoptosis. This is a mechanism through which lymphopenia may occur and T cell memory may be altered.

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