Asthma phenotypes identified by latent class analysis in the ISAAC phase II Spain study.

SummaryBackground Classification of respiratory symptoms may help to identify different underlying asthma phenotypes reflecting differences in aetiology and prognosis of wheezing disease among children. Objective To determine childhood asthma phenotypes based on respiratory symptoms from a widely used questionnaire to further classify phenotypes in international settings. Methods Between 2000 and 2002 cross-sectional studies were performed in four centres in Spain. Parental questionnaires were used to collect information on allergic diseases in more than 4000 children aged 8–12 years. In addition, objective markers for allergic sensitization and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) were meas…