[Antileukotrienes. Their use in pediatrics]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Leukotriene antagonists emerged as a significant advancement in asthma management over the past two decades.
• Their oral administration facilitates treatment adherence, particularly in pediatric populations.
• Guidelines recognize antileukotrienes and chromones as crucial for managing stage 2 asthma and reducing corticosteroid dependence in persistent asthma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and suitability of antileukotrienes in pediatric asthma treatment.
• To assess the positioning of antileukotrienes based on current research and clinical experience.
• To compare the effectiveness of specific antileukotriene medications in managing childhood asthma.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cysteinyl-leukotriene agonists.
• Presentation of two clinical studies involving children with persistent and episodic asthma.
• Analysis of treatment outcomes for nedocromil and montelukast.

Main Results:

• Cysteinyl-leukotriene agonists demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties.
• Their efficacy in controlling asthma symptoms is comparable to low-dose inhaled corticosteroids.
• Both nedocromil and montelukast showed similar efficacy in controlling asthma in pediatric studies.

Conclusions:

• Antileukotrienes are valuable anti-inflammatory agents for asthma management.
• They offer comparable efficacy to inhaled corticosteroids in controlling bronchospasm.
• Antileukotrienes, alongside chromones, are important therapeutic options for infant asthma.