title: Efficacy and safety of montelukast as monotherapy in children with mild persistent asthma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the efficacy and tolerability of montelukast as monotherapy in the treatment of mild persistent bronchial asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Open, non-comparative, prospective, 12-month study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Asthma clinic in urban multi-speciality trust hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children (age 3-11 yrs) with mild persistent asthma, not on any prophylactic drugs were enrolled consecutively (from January to December 2003) and started on 4 mg (2-4 yrs) or 5mg (<4 yrs) montelukast for a period of 12 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by improvements in clinical score, peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR), spirometry measurements and reduction in reliever drug requirement after 4 and 12 weeks of therapy. Side effects were also judged after 12 weeks of therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  50 children (mean age 5.41 +/-2.11 years) completed the study. There was association with positive family history (92%), allergic rhinitis (64%), exercise induced asthma (40%), cough variant asthma (24%), seasonal asthma (80%) and high IgE (12%) levels. Clinical scores, viz, activity, wheeze and cough, improved effectively from (1.64 +/-0.5253) at baseline to (0.7 +/-0.7071) and (1.72 +/-0.701) to (0.92 +/-0.6952) and (1.5 +/-0.6145) to (0.88 +/-0.8241) respectively after 12 weeks of therapy. Significant clinical improvement (p >0.001) was also noted after 4 weeks of therapy. Peak expiratory flow rates (done in 19 cases) documented improvement from (120.21 +/-12.23) at baseline to (135.41 +/-23.34) after 12 weeks. FEV1 / FVC (done in 11 cases) improved from (71.44 +/-1.35%) to (87.10 +/-8.34%) after 12 weeks. Mean improvement in all the parameters demonstrated P value less than >.001. A total of 19 of 50 cases showed mild side-effects as anorexia (16%), elevated liver function tests (18%) and headache (10%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical outcome showed significant improvement (p < 0.01) after 4 and 12 weeks.
authors.affiliation: Shree Jain Hospital and Research Center, Howrah, West Bengal, India. ghoshped@cal3.vsnl.net.in
authors.forename: Gautam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Arun Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Manglik
authors.forename: Subhasis
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011804:Quinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013440:Sulfides; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D011804:Quinolines; D013440:Sulfides; C093875:montelukast