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The effect of beclomethasone dipropionate in ultrafine particles on bronchial hyper-reactivity in young children

Claudia L Costa-Katz1, Galit Livnat, Fahed Hakim

  • 1Pediatric Pulmonary Unit, Meyer Children's Hospital, The Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|January 5, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Four weeks of beclomethasone dipropionate in ultrafine particles (BDP-HFA) treatment significantly reduced bronchial hyper-reactivity (BHR) in young children with asthma. This asthma medication improved BHR measures, indicating a potential therapeutic benefit.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Bronchial hyper-reactivity (BHR) is crucial for diagnosing and managing asthma in children.
  • The efficacy of beclomethasone dipropionate in ultrafine particles (BDP-HFA) on BHR in young children remains understudied.
  • Assessing BHR using the adenosine challenge test provides objective measures of airway responsiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effect of BDP-HFA on BHR in young asthmatic children.
  • To determine if BDP-HFA (100 μg twice daily) reduces airway hyper-responsiveness.
  • To assess changes in the provocative concentration of histamine or methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PC20-FEV1).

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study was conducted.
  • Twenty-one young children with asthma received either BDP-HFA or placebo for 4 weeks, followed by a 2-week washout.
  • Primary outcomes included PC20-FEV1 and the stage number at which FEV1 dropped by 20% during an adenosine challenge test.

Main Results:

  • BDP-HFA treatment resulted in a significantly higher median PC20-FEV1 (81.28 mg/mL) compared to placebo (9.64 mg/mL; p < 0.001).
  • The median increase in stages required to reach PC20 was three stages higher with BDP-HFA compared to placebo (95% CI 2.28-4.86).
  • These findings indicate a substantial reduction in BHR following BDP-HFA administration.

Conclusions:

  • Four weeks of BDP-HFA treatment significantly decreased bronchial hyper-reactivity in young children with asthma.
  • BDP-HFA demonstrates potential as an effective therapeutic agent for managing airway hyper-responsiveness in pediatric asthma.
  • Further research may explore long-term effects and optimal dosing strategies for BDP-HFA in this population.
Abstract

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