Related Experiment Videos
[Evaluation of theophylline in children hospitalized with asthma attack]
Insights
Theophylline did not show clinical benefits for hospitalized children experiencing asthma attacks, even when combined with high fever. Treatment outcomes were similar across groups receiving different doses or no theophylline.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Asthma is a common respiratory condition in children.
- Hospitalized children with severe asthma attacks often require intensive treatment.
- The role of theophylline in managing acute pediatric asthma exacerbations remains a subject of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical efficacy of theophylline in hospitalized children with asthma attacks.
- To determine if theophylline administration offers benefits compared to standard care in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving three groups of hospitalized children with asthma attacks.
- Group A received intravenous aminophylline (theophylline salt).
- Group B1 received a lower dose of intravenous aminophylline.
- Group B2 received no aminophylline.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed in the duration of hospital admission among the groups.
- The total dose of intravenous methylprednisolone administered was comparable across all groups.
- Improvements in clinical asthma scores did not differ significantly between the theophylline and no-theophylline groups.
Conclusions:
- Theophylline (aminophylline) did not provide demonstrable clinical benefits for hospitalized children with asthma attacks, particularly when high fever was present.
- Current treatment protocols for severe pediatric asthma exacerbations may not require theophylline.
- Further research could explore specific subgroups or alternative therapeutic strategies.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to determine whether theophylline provides clinical benefits in the hospitalized children with asthma attack. Aminophylline was intravenously given to the 50 patients (Group A) who were admitted 1994. A small dose of aminophylline compared to that of Group A was given to the 44 patients (Group B1) who were admitted 1998. On the other hand, aminophylline was not given to the 12 patients (Group B2) who were admitted 1998. However, there were no differences among those groups in the duration of admission, in the total dose of intravenously given methylprednisolone, and in the improvement of clinical score of asthma. These results suggested that there was no clinical benefit in using theophylline for treatment to hospitalized children with asthma attack combined high fever.