BACKGROUND: In preschool @entity1 , no study assessed the relation between wheezing and @entity2490 severity. Our aims were to estimate the prevalence of current wheezing (CW) in preschoolers and to study the association between CW and current @entity2490 (CR), considering its severity/persistency. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, nationwide, population-based study including a representative sample of 5003 Portuguese @entity1 aged 3-5 years. Data were collected by a face-to-face interview with caregivers using an adapted ISAAC questionnaire. CW was defined as presence of >= 1 wheezing episode in the previous 12 months. @entity2490 severity/persistency was classified according to @entity2023 and its Impact on Asthma. RESULTS: Current wheezing prevalence was 24.5% [95% CI 23.3-25.7]; 9.4% of the @entity1 had >= 4 wheezing episodes in the previous year. @entity1 with CR had an odds ratio (OR) of 4.0 [95% CI 3.4-4.5] for CW; it was highest for @entity1 with moderate-severe persistent @entity2490 (11.5 [95% CI 8.1-16.3]), even after adjusting for possible confounders. Wheezers with CR reported more wheezing treatment use (p = 0.024) than those without CR. There was a trend for a higher number of wheezing episodes with more persistent and severe nasal disease - 48.4% of @entity1 with moderate-severe persistent @entity2490 had >4 wheezing episodes vs. 28.9% in moderate-severe intermittent, 20.0% in mild persistent, 10.8% in mild intermittent, and 3.6% in those without CR; p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: Current wheezing was present in almost 25% of preschool @entity1 and was strongly associated with @entity2490 , especially moderate-severe persistent disease. Preschoolers with both CW and @entity2490 seem to have a more severe phenotype, emphasizing the need for concurrent evaluation of nasal and bronchial symptoms even in small @entity1 .

Severity of XXXX and wheezing is strongly associated in preschoolers: A population-based study.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['participants', 'children', 'Children'] @entity2023 :: ('MESH:D006255', 'Disease') :: ['Allergic Rhinitis'] @entity2490 :: ('MESH:D012220', 'Disease') :: ['rhinitis', 'Rhinitis']
@entity2490 :: (MESH:D012220,Disease) :: ['rhinitis']
