Abstract

Clinical and laboratory studies on bronchial asthma in 200 Nigerian children who were seen during a 2 1/2-year period in Ibadan are described. Contrary to reports that the condition is rare in African children, after pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma is the next most common chronic chest disease in Ibadan. While many features of the disease are similar to those seen elsewhere, skin tests indicate that ascaris is the most common antigen associated with asthma, followed by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus.