Abstract
ABSTRACT
Reducing the frequency and severity of asthmatic attacks is extremely important in the management of poorly controlled chronic asthma in children. Therefore, we tested a combination therapy of cromolyn sodium inhalation by jet nebulization with the addition of a small amount (0.05 ml/inhalation) of salbutamol (β2-agonist) for the long-term management of asthmatic children. Thirty-nine children, 9 girls and 30 boys, with perennial asthma were studied. Their asthma had been unstable despite methylxanthine therapy. Also included in the study were 7 asthma inpatients, who were receiving long-term hospital care and had been treated with methylxanthines, beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), and inhalation therapy of cromolyn sodium capsules for at least 12 months. In the 12 months of the study, these 46 patients received a combination of cromolyn sodium and salbutamol inhalation by jet nebulizer. At the end of the 1 year study with this regimen, 28 (72%) of the 39 outpatients preferred the combination therapy of cromolyn sodium and a small amount of salbutamol because they had lost fewer days of school as a result of asthma, suffered less nocturnal and daytime symptoms, and been less often forced to undergo emergency treatment. In 5 of the 7 inpatients who received the combination therapy, the frequency and severity of asthma attacks were significantly reduced compared to those of the previous 12 months. We have found that the combination of cromolyn and a small amount of salbutamol results in better treatment than cromolyn alone for chronic severe asthma. Adverse effects were virtually absent during the study.
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