title: Corticosteroid-sparing effect of chromoglycate sodium and nedocromil.
abstract: The most appropiate management for bronchial asthma is the control of airway inflammation. Corticosteroids are the most effective anti-inflammatory drugs available, but they have a number of side effects; most of these are dose-dependent. In children, asthma control should be accomplished with low steroid doses possibly given by inhalation. In a double-bind placebo-controlled crossover study a group of children with mild to moderate asthma received NED 16 mg/day or BDP 400 mug/day. Values for FEV(1), PEF, symptoms use ofbronchodilators overlapped, whereas bronchial hyper-responsiveness assessed by histamine bronchoprovocation challenge was better with BDP than NED. In another case, one boy with high bronchial hyper-reactivity assessed by provocation test with hypertonic solution, experienced a significant improvement only after 2 weeks of therapy with Deflazacort (2 mg/Kg/day) followed by 4 months on combined treatment with NED (16 mg/day) and BDP (300 mu/day). Authors conclude that NED could have a steroidsparing effect over long-term use.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Clinic University of Naples via Sant'Andrea delle Dame Naples 4-1-80100 Italy.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Capristo
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Del Giudice
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alfaro
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maiello