The use of inhaled corticosteroids in the wheezy under 5-year-old child.
Inhaled corticosteroids are established as the most effective long-term anti-inflammatory therapy for asthma. National and international treatment guidelines recommend the use of these agents for long-term asthma control in children. In children <5 years, there are significant difficulties in diagnosing asthma. There are multiple non-asthma causes of wheeze, and there remains a lack of consensus in the description of wheezing phenotypes in this group of children. There is also a relative paucity of data concerning the short- and long-term effectiveness and side-effects in the under-fives: treatment recommendations have drawn heavily from experience of asthma treatment in school-age children and remains controversial. This article discusses the important recent advances in the evidence-base and current expert opinions which are helping to delineate improved outcomes for young children with wheeze.
Davies
B R
BR
Nottingham University, Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, UK.
Carroll
W D
WD
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000187:drug effects*
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents