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Theophylline does not shorten hospital stay for children admitted for asthma

J P Needleman1, M C Kaifer, J T Nold

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.

Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|February 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

Adding intravenous theophylline to standard asthma treatments did not improve recovery times or clinical scores in hospitalized children with acute asthma exacerbations. This suggests theophylline is not beneficial in this pediatric patient group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Clinical Pharmacology
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Acute asthma exacerbations in children often require hospitalization and intensive treatment.
  • Current standard care includes systemic corticosteroids and inhaled beta-2 agonists.
  • The role of adjunctive therapies like intravenous theophylline remains a subject of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of intravenous aminophylline as an add-on therapy for acute pediatric asthma exacerbations.
  • To determine if theophylline enhances the effectiveness of corticosteroids and beta-2 agonists in hospitalized children.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted.
  • Forty-two pediatric patients (2-18 years) with acute asthma exacerbations were enrolled.
  • Patients received either intravenous theophylline or placebo, alongside methylprednisolone and nebulized albuterol.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in mean length of hospital stay was observed between the theophylline and placebo groups (52.3 vs. 48.2 hours).
  • The rate of improvement in clinical asthma severity scores was comparable in both groups.
  • The addition of theophylline did not lead to enhanced clinical improvement.

Conclusions:

  • Intravenous theophylline, when added to systemic corticosteroids and aerosolized beta-2 agonists, does not improve outcomes for children hospitalized with acute asthma exacerbations.
  • These findings suggest that theophylline is not a beneficial adjunctive treatment in this setting.
Abstract

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