The clinical expression of asthma in schoolchildren has changed between 1996 and 2006

Andersson M, Bjerg A, Forsberg B, Lundbäck B, Rönmark E. The clinical expression of asthma in schoolchildren has changed between 1996 and 2006.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2010: 21: 859–866.
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Several studies have reported diverging trends in the prevalence of asthma and wheeze. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical expression of childhood asthma in 1996 and 2006 by studying asthma morbidity, treatment, and environmental exposures in school children with physician‐diagnosed asthma and wheeze, respectively. All children enrolled in first or second grade (7–8 yr‐old) in three municipalities in northern Sweden were invited to a questionnaire study in 1996 and 2006, respectively. In 1996, 3430 (97%) participated; and in 2006, 2585 (96%) participated. The same parental completed questionnaire, including the ISAAC questions, was used in both surveys. Physician‐diagnosed asthma was reported at 5.7% in 1996 and 7.4% in 2006. A significantly greater proportion of children with asthma were using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in 2006, 67% vs. 55% in 1996. This increase was parallel to a major decrease in severe asthma symptoms such as disturbed sleep because of wheeze (49% vs. 38%) and troublesome asthma (21% vs. 11%). The prevalence of current wheeze among the asthmatics decreased significantly; however, this was seen only among children not using ICS. Parental smoking decreased significantly as did the proportion living in damp buildings. In conclusion, although asthma remains a major public health issue in school age children, children with asthma had less respiratory symptoms and a better asthma control in 2006 compared to 1996. This parallels with an increase in treatment with ICS, more beneficial environmental conditions, and an increased diagnostic intensity resulting in a larger proportion of children with mild symptoms being diagnosed as having asthma.     

儿童哮喘及吸入性糖皮质激素对成年终身高影响的系统评价和Meta分析

目的 评价儿童哮喘及应用吸入性糖皮质激素(ICS)对其成年终身高的影响。方法 在PubMed、BCI、EMbase、Web of Science、中国知网和万方数据库中收集2014年10月前有关儿童哮喘和ICS治疗与成年终身高之间关系的研究,并进行系统评价和Meta分析。结果 最终纳入儿童哮喘与成年终身高的相关研究共6项,其中3项研究表明儿童哮喘不影响成年终身高,2项研究表明有轻微影响,且和哮喘严重程度相关,1项研究仅在未接受高等教育的黑人女性亚组发现身高降低。纳入儿童ICS治疗与成年终身高的相关研究共4项,通过ICS治疗组与非ICS治疗组、健康对照组及自身预期终身高的对比,发现哮喘患儿ICS治疗对成年终身高无明显影响。结论 儿童哮喘不会或者仅轻微降低成年终身高,而ICS治疗并不会明显影响成年终身高,但这些结论需要研究进一步验证。     

吸人糖皮质激素与口服孟鲁司特治疗咳嗽变异型哮喘的疗效比较及随访研究

目的 比较吸入糖皮质激素(ICS)和口服白三烯调节剂(LTM)对儿童咳嗽变异型哮喘(CVA)的疗效,探讨儿童CVA的最佳治疗方案,并探讨CVA发展为典型哮喘的相关危险因素.方法 将84例年龄(3.9±1.2)岁(2～6岁)的CVA患儿随机分为ICS组(42例)和LTM组(42例).ICS组患儿通过定量气雾剂+储雾罐规律吸人二丙酸倍氯米松200 μg/d维持治疗,LTM组患儿每晚口服孟鲁司特5 mg维持治疗,治疗时间6个月,停用试验药物治疗后继续随访18个月.结果 ICS组平均止咳天数为(14±9)d,LTM组平均止咳天数为(13±9)d,两组问比较差异无统计学意义(Z=1.12,P=0.25).在24个月的研究观察期间,ICS组出现喘息的比率(7.1%)明显低于LTM组(33.3%)(x2=8.92,P=0.003).喘息组患儿湿疹和变应性鼻炎的患病率分别为47.1%和58.8%,明显高于无喘息组(分别为19.4%和31.3%)(x2分别为4.16和4.40,P均＜0.05).多因素逐步回归分析结果显示,湿疹和变应性鼻炎是CVA发展为典型哮喘的危险因素,OR值分别为7.668和3.855(P分别为0.002和0.049),而规律吸入ICS是有效的保护因素,其OR值为0.128(P=0.008).结论 CVA患者可转化为典型哮喘,接受ICS治疗的患儿出现喘息的比率低于接受LTM治疗的患儿,湿疹和过敏性鼻炎是CVA发展为典型哮喘的危险因素.     

舌下特异性免疫治疗对尘螨过敏性哮喘儿童的作用

目的：观察舌下特异性免疫治疗(sublingual immunotherapy, SLIT)联合吸入糖皮质激素(inhaled corticosteroids, ICS)与单独ICS治疗尘螨过敏轻、中度哮喘儿童的临床疗效,为哮喘的联合治疗提供更多的选择方案。方法：对尘螨过敏的轻、中度哮喘患儿32例随机分为两组： SLIT组(SLIT联合ICS治疗,18例)和对照组(单独ICS治疗,14例)。两组共30例完成为期1年的临床观察。比较两组患儿ICS给药总量、哮喘日间和夜间症状评分、皮肤点刺试验、肺功能、血清sIgE和sIgG4值、VAS评分（visual analog scale）的差异。结果：SLIT组在1年治疗结束ICS给药总量较对照组显著减少;与对照组相比,SLIT组的日、夜间哮喘症状评分显著降低,肺功能FEF25- 75%值显著增加,sIgE值及VAS评分降低,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;皮肤点刺反应计分、FEV1及sIgG4值两组差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。在整个随访期两组均无严重不良反应。结论：SLIT联合ICS治疗在改善尘螨致敏哮喘患儿的日、夜间哮喘症状、肺功能及VAS评分方面的疗效优于单独使用ICS治疗。［中国当代儿科杂志,2010,12（5）：344-347］     

长期吸入糖皮质激素对支气管哮喘患儿身高的影响

支气管哮喘(哮喘)是儿童期最常见的慢性疾病,吸入糖皮质激素(ICS)仍是目前哮喘治疗中最有效的方法。但由于本身存在的不良反应,使其在临床应用中受到一定的影响。通过对近年国内外相关文献进行综述,认为短期吸入中小剂量糖皮质激素(GC)对哮喘儿童的身高无显著性影响。对长期吸入者身高的影响与ICS的种类、剂量、疗程、吸入器、吸入技术、不同年龄以及个体对激素的敏感程度等有关,可采取一定的措施预防ICS对身高的影响。     

The effect of asthma and its treatment on growth.

Asthma has little, if any, significant effect on attained adult height. Untreated asthma results in a delay of puberty by approximately 1.3 years, and pubertal delay is likely to explain the majority of apparent growth failure in asthmatics. All currently available inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) result in growth suppression at conventional doses (400 microg/day of beclomethasone dipropionate equivalent), but the growth suppressive effects are relatively short lived, after which growth reverts to pretreatment levels. Younger, prepubertal children, appear more sensitive to the growth suppressive effects of ICS. Asthmatic children receiving conventional doses of ICS (400 microg/day of BDP equivalent) will attain an adult height indistinguishable from their predicted adult height (based on their mid parental height), and no different from non-asthmatics. Adult height could possibly be decreased in severe asthmatics, but this is unlikely to be greater than a 1.2 cm decrement. Recent longitudinal studies offer reassurance that at conventional doses ICS do not have significant long term effects on growth, and that their benefits consistently outweigh their side effects.     

The effect of asthma and its treatment on growth

Asthma has little, if any, significant effect on attained adult height. Untreated asthma results in a delay of puberty by approximately 1.3 years, and pubertal delay is likely to explain the majority of apparent growth failure in asthmatics. All currently available inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) result in growth suppression at conventional doses (400 microg/day of beclomethasone dipropionate equivalent), but the growth suppressive effects are relatively short lived, after which growth reverts to pretreatment levels. Younger, prepubertal children, appear more sensitive to the growth suppressive effects of ICS. Asthmatic children receiving conventional doses of ICS (400 microg/day of BDP equivalent) will attain an adult height indistinguishable from their predicted adult height (based on their mid parental height), and no different from non-asthmatics. Adult height could possibly be decreased in severe asthmatics, but this is unlikely to be greater than a 1.2 cm decrement. Recent longitudinal studies offer reassurance that at conventional doses ICS do not have significant long term effects on growth, and that their benefits consistently outweigh their side effects.     

Reduced basal salivary cortisol in children with asthma and allergic rhinitis

Aim: Reduced basal cortisol is reported in allergic disease. We investigated if basal salivary cortisol levels were reduced in children with asthma or allergic rhinitis, controlling for inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) use. Methods: Morning and evening saliva of asthmatic children aged 7–12 years (n = 50) and that of controls (n = 52) were sampled. A total of 19 asthmatics and four controls had allergic rhinitis. Healthy children were controls without rhinitis. Of all, 14 asthmatic children used low, and 12 used moderate or high doses of ICS. Cortisol was analysed by radioimmunoassay. Results: Morning salivary cortisol median (95% CI) was lower in asthmatics (8.7 (7.1, 9.7)) compared with that in controls (10.4 (9.6, 11.8); p = 0.006), which was similar for evening cortisol levels. Regression analyses demonstrated that asthmatics using moderate or high doses of ICS had reduced morning salivary cortisol adjusted (for age and gender) odds ratio (aOR) (95% CI) (0.54 (0.37, 0.80); p = 0.002) and reduced evening cortisol aOR (0.09 (0.01, 0.6); p = 0.02) compared with that in healthy children. Asthmatics with rhinitis on no or low doses of ICS had reduced morning cortisol aOR (0.73 (0.56, 0.96); p = 0.02) compared with that in healthy children. Conclusion: Asthmatic children on moderate or high doses of inhaled corticosteroids had reduced salivary cortisol, but co‐morbidity of asthma and rhinitis was also associated with reduced cortisol levels.     

Preschool children with high adherence to inhaled corticosteroids for asthma do not show behavioural problems

Aim: To assess prevalence of behavioural problems in preschool children with asthma with electronically verified exposure to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Methods: Cross‐sectional study of 81 children 2–5 years of age using daily ICS for persistent asthma. During 3 months’ follow‐up, adherence to ICS treatment was recorded by an electronical logging device (Smartinhaler^®). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5–5 years (CBCL 1.5–5) to assess behavioural problems; results were compared to a published reference group of healthy children. Results: The median (interquartile range) adherence to ICS was 92 (78–97) %. There was no difference in total CBCL score between children with asthma on ICS (mean, [SD] 32.10 [1.99]) and the reference group (33.30 [1.87], 95% CI for difference ?6.62 to 4.22). Children with asthma were more likely to have somatic complaints (95% CI for difference 0.64 to 1.96) and less likely to have anxious/depressive symptoms (95% CI for difference ?1.57 to ?0.25) than the reference group. CBCL scores were not significantly related to the electronically measured adherence rates. Conclusions: Maintenance treatment with ICS, taken daily as prescribed, is not associated with an increased risk of behavioural problems in preschool children.     

Advances in the management of childhood asthma

For children with daily asthma symptoms, the most effective preventative therapy is inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Most children experience good symptom control on relatively low doses (<400 μg/day). If frequent symptoms persist despite treatment with ICS 400 μg/day, beneficial add-on therapies include long-acting beta-2 agonists, leukotriene receptor antagonists and slow-release theophyllines. These should be tried sequentially before the dose of ICS is increased.Non-atopic children with episodic viral-triggered wheezing are extremely unlikely to respond to regular ICS. They might best be treated with ‘when-required’ high-dose beta-2 agonists with or without oral steroids.Children with frequently recurrent or chronic non-specific coughing are unlikely to have asthma. However, a clear response of symptoms to a trial of inhaled steroids and relapse when stopping therapy remains useful in identifying those with true cough-variant asthma.It remains to be seen how effective anti-IgE antibody therapy will be.     

Periodic use of inhaled steroids in children with mild persistent asthma: what are pediatricians recommending?

Although asthma treatment guidelines recommend daily inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use for all persistent asthma, pediatricians may recommend alternative treatment plans for children with mild persistent disease. The authors administered a survey of pediatricians to describe prescribing patterns for mild persistent asthma. More than 99% of providers agreed that periodic ICS could be effective for some asthma patients. Overall, 129/251 providers (51%) reported prescribing daily ICS to most patients with mild persistent asthma, whereas 78 (31%) reported recommending periodic ICS for most such patients. Providers with patient populations > or = 25% black were significantly less likely to report prescribing daily ICS (odds ratio, 0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.6) for mild persistent asthma. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of periodic ICS use for children with mild persistent asthma and on underlying reasons for differing provider practice patterns.     

达良好控制哮喘患儿停用低剂量吸入性糖皮质激素的临床随访研究

目的 通过随访达良好控制哮喘患儿停用低剂量吸入性糖皮质激素（ICS）后哮喘急性发作情况,以及实验室指标的动态变化,以期为哮喘患儿的长期控制最佳方案提供依据。方法 根据家长意愿,将63例达到良好控制的哮喘患儿分为ICS治疗组（n=35）和停药组（n=28）,进行18个月随访,每3个月进行评估,观察哮喘急性发作情况,并动态监测两组患儿肺功能和呼出气一氧化氮（FeNO）浓度,以及儿童哮喘控制测试（C-ACT）评分等指标进行分析。结果 随访第3、6、9、12个月时,FeNO在两组间比较差异无统计学意义（P > 0.05）;但在随访第15、18个月时,停药组FeNO显著高于治疗组（P < 0.05）。6次随访时点内C-ACT在两组间比较差异无统计学意义（P > 0.05）。随访第3、6、9、12个月时,第1秒用力呼气容积占预计值的百分比（FEV1%）、第1秒用力呼气量占用力肺活量比值（FEV1/FVC%）、最大呼气中期流速占预计值百分比（MMEF%）、最大呼气50%肺活量的瞬间流速（MEF50%）等指标在两组间比较差异无统计学意义（P > 0.05）;但在随访第15、18个月时,治疗组MMEF%、MEF50%显著高于停药组（P < 0.05）。治疗组随访期间有3例（9%）患儿哮喘发作,停药组有8例（29%）患儿哮喘发作,停药组哮喘复发率高于治疗组（P=0.0495）。结论 持续吸入低剂量ICS可维持哮喘患儿肺功能稳定,减少哮喘发作。     

Fluticasone in the therapy of asthmatic children: short-term effects on growth

AIM: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), for years used in the therapy of low-moderate bronchial asthma, reduce the rate of asthmatic attack with improved pulmonary functioning and quality of life. Clinical trials have been addressed mainly to study the efficacy rather than the safety of drugs, so that the side effects of these drugs have not yet been accurately defined. Clinical experience shows that growth delay appears in the first months of therapy with ICS. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the therapy with spacer-administered inhaled corticosteroid on short-term auxological development in prepubertal children. METHODS: In a group of children with low asthma, height and weight have been evaluated before and after six months of inhaled therapy with dipropionate fluticasone at a dose of 100 microg per day. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (19 males and 6 females; age 5.5+/-1.6 years; range: 2.6-7.8 years) showed a regular growth during the six months of therapy (mean height 0.8 standard deviation score [SDS] before therapy and 0.8 SDS after therapy), while 21 (17 males and 4 females; age 10.0+/-1.5 years; range 8.0-12.7 years) showed an increment of growth rate (mean height from 0.5 SDS to 0.7 SDS, respectively). CONCLUSION: Spacer-administered low dose fluticasone does not negatively influence short-term growth rate, regardless of the age of the patients.     

Trends in hospital admissions for pediatric asthma in childrenduring a period of eighteen years

OBJECTIVE: To study trends in hospital admissions for acute pediatric asthma in the Hospital da Santa Casa do Rio Grande during the period of 1979 to 1996. METHODS: This is a study of a series of cases. We reviewed all the discharge records of pediatric patients with diagnosis of acute asthma, pneumonia, and bronchiolitis within the period mentioned above. The main variable in this study was the percentage of admissions for acute asthma in relation to the total amount of hospital admissions. The percentages of admissions for bronchiolitis and pneumonia in relation to the total amount of hospital admissions were also calculated as reference values. RESULTS: There were 3,493 admissions for acute asthma in 3,122 patients during the studied period, with an average of 194 admissions per year. The percentage of admissions for acute asthma to total hospital admissions increased from 5,5% to 14,7% between 1983/84 and 1991/92. Half of this increase occurred during the period 1987-1992 in which hospitalizations for bronchiolitis and pneumonia were stable. This percentage decreased from 14,7% to 10,6% in the period of 1991/92 - 1995/96. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant increase in hospital admissions for acute pediatric asthma in the Hospital da Santa Casa do Rio Grande during the period of 1983 - 1992. From then on, hospital admissions for asthma showed downward trends.     

按哮喘预测指数分组治疗在5岁以下喘息儿童中的应用

目的 观察按哮喘预测指数（asthma predictive index, API）分组治疗在5 岁以下喘息儿童中的应用价值。方法 239 例5 岁以下喘息患儿,API 阳性组126 例,API 阴性组113 例,分别随机分为糖皮质激素吸入治疗组（ICS 治疗组）及孟鲁司特钠治疗组（LTRA 治疗组）。治疗开始4 周内2 组所用药物种类和剂量相同,在疾病稳定期（第4 周后）ICS 治疗组仅使用布地奈德混悬液雾化吸入治疗,LTRA 治疗组仅使用孟鲁司特钠口服治疗,评估记录各组患儿不同时间点哮喘症状评分。结果 API 阳性组及阴性组在治疗后的前4 周,ICS和LTRA 2 种方法均有效,哮喘症状评分与治疗前比较差异有统计学意义,但2 个治疗组间比较差异无统计学意义;在治疗24 周时,2 种治疗方法仍有效,但API 阳性组中LTRA 治疗组较ICS 治疗组更有效;在API 阴性组中,LTRA 治疗组与ICS 治疗组疗效比较差异无统计学意义。结论 5 岁以下的儿童喘息,在疾病稳定期,可根据不同的API 分组,选择不同治疗方案,以达到更有效地控制喘息的目的。