Objective:To determine the prevalence and the severity of wheezing in the first year of life
for infants who live in Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods:Cross sectional study with the administration of the Estudio Internacional de
Sibilancias en Lactantes (EISL), which is a standardized and validated written
questionnaire applied to parents and/or guardians of infants aged 12-24 months
treated at primary health units, vaccination centers, day care centers, or
kindergartens. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding demographic
characteristics, presence of wheezing, respiratory infections, and risk factors.
Results were analyzed using the SPSS for Windows, 20.0 (SPSS Inc. - Chicago, Il,
United States). Logistic regression was applied to verify variables associated to
recurrent wheezing. Results:Among the 1,028 infants studied, 48.5% had one or more episodes of wheezing during
the first 12 months of life (wheezing once), and 23.9% had three or more episodes
(recurrent wheezing). Nocturnal symptoms, severe breathing difficulty, and visits
to the emergency room were observed in 67.3%, 42.4%, and 60.7% of infants,
respectively. Among the studied infants, 19.4% were hospitalized, and 11.0% had a
medical diagnosis of asthma in the first year of life. Use of β2-agonists, inhaled
corticosteroids, oral corticosteroids, and leukotriene receptor antagonists were
observed in 88.8%, 21.0%, 54.9%, and 3.2% of children with wheezing, respectively.
Use of oral corticosteroids, perception of breathlessness by parents, diagnosis of
asthma, pneumonia, and hospitalization for pneumonia were more frequent among
infants with recurrent wheezing (p<0.001). Conclusions:In the city of Santo André, approximately half of infants had at least one episode
of wheezing in the first year of life, and almost 25% had recurrent wheezing.
Wheezing disorders in Santo André have early onset and high morbidity.
