Joseph E. Ghory

The ABCs of Educating the Patient with Chronic Bronchial Asthma How We Do It

Total rehabilitation of the chronic asthmatic child needs 1) a philosophy, 2) an objective, and 3) a method. The philosophy is to help the child lead as normal a life as possible. The objective is to accomplish this in his home, in his play and in his school. The method to accomplish this must include education and understanding of the disease by the patient and his family.

The Pre-School Child in an Asthma Rehabilitation Program

Robert Louis Stevenson, a victim of pulmonary tuberculosis, once wrote, “Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.” This philosophy is particularly appropriate to the small child who demonstrates that he is a severe asthmatic early in life. It is generally agreed that the onset of asthma occurs more often in the first two years of life than at any other age. Even adults with chronic asthma will likely trace their initial episode to early childhood, and it is probably a fair assumption that a chronic asthmatic adult represents a failure on the part of a physician to recognize and treat the condition adequately when the patient was a child. It therefore behooves the pediatrician to identify an asthmatic child early and give him the benefit of a thorough allergy survey to find out what kind of cards he is really holding. Only then can the physician play his hand well and give his patient a good deal.

The hospitalized child with urticaria.

Patients with urticaria and angioedema admitted to CHMC were analyzed. The most common etiologic factor for the urticaria was infection (in 45% of the cases), while drugs or medications were responsible in 10% of patients. Almost half of the children received corticosteroids for the treatment of their urticaria.

Manual on the Standardization of Care of the Severely Asthmatic Child

Specific Requirements of a Residential Unit for Qualifying as a Special Rehabilitation Center Compiled by The Rehabilitation Committee Of The American Academy Of Pediatrics Armond V. Mascia, M.D., Chairman

The Allergic Child in School

Allergic disease is the number one chronic illness of childhood. Progress in the total rehabilitation of the chronically ill child with allergies has been sufficiently slow to recall the lament of Ecclesiastes: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.” Progress in allergy and immunology research has zoomed like a rocket off its launching pad, but progress in the adaptation of a chronic allergic child to his society has been painfully slow.

The Short-Term Patient in a Convalescent Hospital Asthma Program

The Convalescent Hospital for Children is a 100-bed hospital affiliated with the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. It is specifically equipped to handle chronic diseases in children from infancy up to the age of 16 years. The asthma rehabilitation program has been in existence since 1957, and up to 25% of the hospital beds are available for these patients.