SUMMARY. The purpose of this study was to estimate the frequency of bronchial asthma in childhood in the town of Larissa and to assess the possible effects of social status, environmental factors, the child’s medical and family history on the course of the disease. A brief asthma questionnaire was distributed and completed by 754 families with at least one child attending a public day nursery in Larissa. Of these, 120 were found to have a child with symptoms consistent with asthma in the past year. Children were 4 8 years old and the questionnaire was completed by their parents. The International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC)-Phase I questionnaire with additional items referring to the socio-economic status of the family, indoor environment factors and parental smoking habits was used. A child with asthma was identified in seventy families. Two years later the course of the disease was evaluated in 66 of those families, using a modified ISAAC questionnaire. The frequency of bronchial asthma in the study population was 9,3%, with the frequency of asthma attacks declining with age. The majority of the children had mild asthma. Allergic rhinitis was found in 31,4% and allergic dermatitis (eczema) in 14,2%. Parental smoking was not related to asthmatic attacks. Allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis were strongly related to asthmatic attacks on reevaluation two years later. These results suggest an important role of atopic disease in the course of asthma and confirm the reports of declining attack frequency with advancing age. Pneumon 2003, 16(1):49-58.