Special challenges that must be taken into account in managing asthma in children in the first 5 years of life include difficulties with diagnosis, the efficacy and safety of drugs and drug delivery systems, and the lack of data on new therapies. Patients in this age group are often managed by pediatricians who are routinely faced with a wide variety of issues related to childhood diseases. Therefore, for the convenience of readers this Executive Summary extracts sections of the report that pertain to diagnosis and management of asthma in children 5 years and younger. These extracts may also be found in the main text, together with detailed discussion of other relevant background.
