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The goal of asthma treatment is to obtain clinical control and reduce future risks to the patient. To reach this goal in children with asthma, ongoing monitoring is essential. While all components of asthma, such as symptoms, lung function, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and inflammation, may exist in various combinations in different individuals, to date there is limited evidence on how to integrate these for optimal monitoring of children with asthma. The aims of this ERS Task Force were to describe the current practise and give an overview of the best available evidence on how to monitor children with asthma.22 clinical and research experts reviewed the literature. A modified Delphi method and four Task Force meetings were used to reach a consensus.This statement summarises the literature on monitoring children with asthma. Available tools for monitoring children with asthma, such as clinical tools, lung function, bronchial responsiveness and inflammatory markers, are described as are the ways in which they may be used in children with asthma. Management-related issues, comorbidities and environmental factors are summarised.Despite considerable interest in monitoring asthma in children, for many aspects of monitoring asthma in children there is a substantial lack of evidence. @ERSpublications ERS statement summarising and discussing the available literature on monitoring children with asthma

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A B S T R A C T The human inducer (T4+) and reciprocal cytotoxic/suppressor (T5+/T8+) subsets have been defined by monoclonal antibodies. In the present study, we examined the relationship of naturally occurringanti-T cell autoantibodies found in patients with active juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) to these subsets. In one approach, normal T cells were treated with anti-T4 or anti-T8 to eliminate the corresponding subset of cells and then analyzed for reactivity with JRA sera. It was found that JRA sera were reactive with only 15% of an enriched cytotoxic/suppressor population, whereas they reacted with 37% of an enriched inducer population. In reciprocal studies, JRA+ T cells were eliminated with JRA sera and complement and the residual T cells (JRA-) reacted with monoclonal antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence on a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. As expected, the JRA sera and complement treatment of unfractionated T cells markedly diminished the T4+ subset, whereas there was a concomitant increase in T cells reactive with anti-T5 and anti-T8. A similar diminution in T4+ T cells was found in the circulating peripheral T cell compartment of patients with active JRA who possessed the JRA antibody.Functional studies demonstrated that removal of the JRA+ population of T cells diminished phytohemagglutinin and soluble antigen proliferative responses,