Key Indicators 

According to the AAP 2023 Pediatric Pulmonology, 2nd Edition, a diagnosis of asthma should be considered when children have 1 or more of the following symptoms:

• Recurrent or chronic wheezing, with or without shortness of breath

• Recurrent or chronic coughing

• Repeated diagnoses of bronchitis or bronchiolitis

• Repeated diagnoses of pneumonia not clinically consistent with pyogenic infection

Such indicators are not diagnostic by themselves, but the presence of multiple key indicators increases the probability of a diagnosis of asthma.

Source: Light MJ, Van Hook K, eds. Pediatric Pulmonology. 2nd ed. American Academy of Pediatrics; 2023, p, 2.