By Mette N Hermansen, MD, PhD
Summary
Chairman: Birthe Høegh
Opponent: Henrik Permin
Opponent: Andy Bush
Recurrent wheezy episodes are the most common chronic disease burden in preschool children accounting for a major draw on health care resources. This Ph.D. thesis covers the role of potentially pathogenic airway bacteria in asthma-development and during wheezy symptoms as well as a randomized controlled trial of early secondary prophylactic corticosteroid treatment. It is based on the COPSAC (Copenhagen Prospective Study on Asthma in Childhood) cohort, a prospective longitudinal birth-cohort of 411 children born to mothers with asthma. The children were followed for five years at a clinical research unit with scheduled visits every six months as well as acute visits for respiratory symptoms.
