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Bronchodilator response by interrupter technique to guide management of preschool wheeze
Paul C Seddon1, Rhian Willson2, Catherine Olden2
1Respiratory Care, Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Brighton, UK seddop@gmail.com.
Insights
Bronchodilator response in preschool children with recurrent wheeze may predict effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Measuring this response can help identify children likely to benefit from ICS treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Respiratory Medicine
- Clinical Allergy
Background:
- Recurrent wheeze in preschool children presents a diagnostic challenge.
- Predicting response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is crucial for effective management.
- Bronchodilator response (BDR) is a potential biomarker for treatment efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between clinical features and pulmonary function in wheezy preschool children.
- To determine if measuring bronchodilator response (BDR) can predict ICS treatment benefit.
- To assess the utility of interrupter resistance (Rint) BDR in guiding ICS therapy.
Main Methods:
- A non-randomized intervention study involving preschool children (2 to <6 years) with recurrent wheeze.
- Pulmonary function (Rint) and symptom scores were measured before and after bronchodilator administration at multiple time points.
- Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) were initiated based on symptom severity, and response was evaluated.
Main Results:
- A significant reduction in Rint and daily symptom scores was observed after ICS treatment.
- Positive Rint BDR before ICS initiation was significantly associated with a greater reduction in symptom scores post-treatment.
- Modified Asthma Predictive Index (mAPI) and parental perception did not reliably predict ICS response.
Conclusions:
- Bronchodilator response, specifically using interrupter resistance (Rint), may serve as a valuable tool for selecting wheezy preschool children who are likely to benefit from inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy.
- This finding supports the use of objective BDR measurements in clinical decision-making for pediatric respiratory conditions.
Objective:
We examined relationships between clinical features and pulmonary function before and after inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment in wheezy preschool children, and specifically, whether measuring bronchodilator response (BDR) could predict benefit from ICS.
Design:
Clinical non-randomised intervention study SETTING: Secondary care.
Patients:
Preschool children (2 years to <6 years) with recurrent wheeze.
Interventions:
Inhaled beta-agonist, ICS.
Outcome Measures:
We measured prebronchodilator and postbronchodilator interrupter resistance (Rint) and symptom scores at 0 (V1), 4 (V2) and 12 (V3) weeks. At V2, those with a predetermined symptom level commenced ICS. Modified Asthma Predictive Index (mAPI) and parental perception of response to bronchodilator were recorded. Response to ICS was defined as a reduction in daily symptom score of >0.26. Positive BDR was defined as fall in Rint of ≥0.26 kPa.s/L, ≥35% predicted or ≥1.25 Z Scores.
Results:
Out of 138 recruited children, 67 completed the full study. Mean (SD) prebronchodilator Rint at V2 was 1.22 (0.35) kPa.s/L, and fell after starting ICS (V3) to 1.09 (0.33) kPa.s/L (p<0.001), while mean (SD) daily symptom score fell from 0.56 (0.36) to 0.28 (0.36) after ICS (p<0.001). Positive Rint BDR before ICS (at V1 and/or V2), using all three threshold criteria, was significantly associated with response to ICS on symptom scores at V3 (p<0.05). mAPI was not significantly associated with response to ICS, and parents' perception of response to bronchodilator was not related to measured Rint BDR .
Conclusions:
Rint BDR may be helpful in selecting which wheezy preschool children are likely to benefit from ICS.
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