Cromolyn sodium, five to six years later.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Allergy and Immunology

Background:

• Difficult-to-treat asthma in children presents significant management challenges.
• Long-term prophylactic strategies are crucial for chronic asthma control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term efficacy of cromolyn sodium prophylaxis in children with chronic asthma.
• To assess the potential for decreasing dependency on bronchodilators and corticosteroids.

Main Methods:

• Double-blind, crossover studies followed by a five-to-six-year open trial of cromolyn prophylaxis.
• Evaluation included clinical assessments, bronchodilator/corticosteroid use, peak expiratory flow rates, and exercise tolerance.
• IgE specific RAST was used to identify extrinsic allergic components.

Main Results:

• Cromolyn prophylaxis was effective for many children with chronic asthma.
• A significant number of patients remained dependent on bronchodilators or corticosteroids.
• Improvement in exercise tolerance was observed in some patients, but steroid reduction was challenging.

Conclusions:

• Cromolyn sodium serves as an effective prophylactic agent for pediatric chronic asthma.
• Reducing or discontinuing steroid use in steroid-dependent asthmatic children proved difficult with cromolyn.
• Further research is needed to optimize long-term asthma management strategies in children.