Rapid response to budesonide (Pulmicort) inhaled via the Nebuhaler in asthmatic children

The British Journal of Clinical Practice
|May 1, 1990
PubMed

Insights

Budesonide effectively treats acute reversible airways obstruction in young children, including infants. This inhaled corticosteroid provides rapid clinical improvement, even in those unresponsive to other treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Acute reversible airways obstruction in infants and young children presents a treatment challenge in general practice.
  • Standard treatments like inhaled beta-2-stimulants may be less effective in children under one year old.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of budesonide delivered via a Nebuhaler with a facemask for treating acute reversible airways obstruction in young children.
  • To assess the speed of clinical improvement following budesonide administration in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • An open-label study involving 48 episodes of acute reversible airways obstruction in 29 children, with half under one year of age.
  • Treatment involved budesonide (0.1-2.09 mg) administered using a Nebuhaler device fitted with a facemask.

Main Results:

  • Clinical improvement was observed in 45 out of 48 treatment episodes.
  • Rapid improvement, typically within 10 minutes, was noted with budesonide doses of 0.8 mg and higher.

Conclusions:

  • Budesonide, when delivered through a suitable device like the Nebuhaler with a facemask, is an effective treatment for acute reversible airways obstruction in young children.
  • This therapeutic approach offers rapid symptom relief, particularly beneficial for infants and young children who may not respond well to other inhaled medications.

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