Eva Mocová
Asthma is the leading chronic disease among children. Troublesome problem for a clinician is mainly in preschool children. Nearly one third of preschool children (4 years of age or younger) have intermittent wheezing. This age group is susceptible to multiple virus infections. The most common early trigger of asthma is a respiratory virus infection (RSV). Clinical feature of RSV may be characterized as episodic wheezing without any symptoms between infections. Another condition mainly in children with atopy has phenotype known as multitrigger wheezing. Most important triggers are exercise, allergens, tobacco smoke, cold air and viral infections too. No recent international guidelines have focused exclusively on pediatric asthma. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology nominated expert teams to find a consensus to serve as a guideline for clinical practice. This consensus report, known as PRACTALL, recommends many strategies that include pharmacological treatment of children younger than 5 years. Inhaled medication, effective in older children, can be difficult to deliver to the toddler. Montelukast, therefore, is a welcome addition to the asthma treatment arsenal. It can be given by chewable tablet or as oral granules, which are administered directly into the mouth or mix with spoonful of room temperature soft food and it is indicated for children from 6-th month of age.