The researchers, from Hamilton's Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health at St. Joseph's Healthcare, want to see if using the drug during the month of September will prevent the flare-ups that have long baffled doctors.
Like clockwork, 25 per cent of all admissions to hospital for asthma in children occur during the week of Sept. 17. The medical oddity happens all across the country and has even been found in other parts of the world such as Trinidad.
"The bottom line is no other disease of kids shows a repeat peak that profound," says Neil Johnston, epidemiologist at the Firestone Institute and co-investigator of the study. "We don't know what causes asthma, but we do know it can be controlled. Children should not end up in hospitals or emergency rooms."
Previous research at the Firestone Institute has determined that the likely cause for the peak is the exposure of asthmatic children to the common cold as they return to school.
