Characteristics of patients
| Group F | Group P | Defaulters | |
| Total no. | 19 | 18 | 15 |
| No. of males | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| Age (mth), mean (SD) | 9.8 (2.6) | 8.9 (2.9) | 9.1 |
| Presenting symptom | |||
| Persistent wheeze | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Recurrent wheeze | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Persistent cough | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| Personal history of eczema | 7 | 9 | 6 |
| IgE (IU), median (range) | 5 (1–449) | 12.5 (1–111) | |
| Family history of: | |||
| Asthma | 18 | 15 | 9 |
| Eczema | 13 | 15 | 9 |
| Hay fever | 16 | 11 | 13 |
| Ongoing parental smoking | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Maternal smoking in pregnancy | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Pets | 9 | 11 | 6 |