[SEVERE INFANTILE ASTHMA TREATED WITH LONG-ACTING MUSCARINIC ANTAGONIST: A CASE SERIES]

Long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) are used for long-term treatment of bronchial asthma in adults. Its use in the management of pediatric bronchial asthma, however, is currently not approved in Japan. Nonetheless, there have been a few reports of its use in children, particularly in cases of severe bronchial asthma or those without atopic disease that are refractory to existing treatment protocols. We report the progress of LAMA in infantile asthma patients.

Three out of four patients had LAMA introduced at 3 to 5 years of age after being diagnosed with asthma at 1 to 3 years old. Three patients had non-IgE-related asthma and an underlying disease, such as Apert and Noonan syndrome, while one patient had severe IgE-related asthma without a pre-existing disease. In all cases, conventional long-term medications such as medium to high-dose inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists, were given. However, severe bronchial asthma persisted, with some patients having uncontrolled secretions. Since uncontrolled severe-persistent bronchial asthma results in repeated hospitalization and intensive care unit admission, we introduced LAMA, specifically 2.5μg/day of tiotropium (Tio). After the introducing Tio, none of the patients had an acute exacerbation that required hospitalization and the frequency of wheezing was reduced. LAMA was administered for up to 19 months, with no adverse events.

The results of this series suggest that LAMA is an effective and safe option for uncontrolled infantile asthma.