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Effect of deep inspiration on airway caliber in children with asthma

Dagnachew Assefa1, Nikhil Amin, Allen J Dozor

  • 1Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, New York, USA. dassefa@yahoo.com

Pediatric Pulmonology
|September 25, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Deep inspiration causes bronchodilation in healthy children and mild asthmatics, but bronchoconstriction in moderate to severe asthma. These airway caliber changes in children mirror adult responses.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Physiology

Background:

  • Asthma affects school-age children, impacting airway caliber.
  • Deep inspiration (DI) is known to influence airway caliber, with varying effects in adults.
  • Understanding DI's effect in pediatric asthma is crucial for disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of deep inspiration (DI) on airway caliber in school-age children with varying asthma severity.
  • To compare the effects of DI in children with mild, moderate, and severe persistent asthma against healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Thirty school-age children with asthma and 7 healthy children participated.
  • Subjects performed partial and maximal expiratory flow-volume maneuvers to calculate the M/P ratio.
  • Specific airway conductance (sGaw) was measured before and after DI.

Main Results:

  • Moderate and severe persistent asthma showed significantly lower M/P ratios compared to healthy controls.
  • Mild persistent asthmatics exhibited limited bronchodilation.
  • A significant inverse correlation was found between M/P ratio and asthma severity.

Conclusions:

  • Deep inspiration induces bronchodilation in healthy and mild asthmatics, but bronchoconstriction in moderate to severe asthmatics.
  • The mechanisms influencing airway caliber in response to DI in children are comparable to those in adults.
  • These findings highlight the importance of DI's role in pediatric asthma pathophysiology.

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