Glucagon in the Treatment of Acute Asthma in Children

Abstract

Glucagon has a bronchodilator effect by stimulating cyclic AMP production through activation of its own receptor. The purpose of this study was to determine if bronchodilation can be induced by glucagon in acute asthma in children. Twenty patients with acute asthma (mean age 9.9 ± 2.1 years) were treated with 1 mg of subcutaneous glucagon, and 20 patients with acute asthma (mean age 10.7 ± 2.1 years) received 400 μg of metered-dose salbutamol. Respiratory function tests were performed (FVC, FEV_l, PEFR, FEF_25-75) before treatment and 30 and 120 min after treatment. The test results were compared with the basal values within each group and between the two groups. When the 30-min and 120-min posttreatment respiratory function test values were compared with the basal values, a significant improvement was found in the glucagon and salbutamol groups (p < 0.05). When the 0-, 30-, and 120-min values of the glucagon group were compared with those of the salbutamol group, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05 for each). Subcutaneous glucagon treatment may be an alternative to metered-dose inhaler salbutamol as a bronchodilator in the treatment of acute asthma in children.