title: Inhaled mucoactive drugs for treating non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis in children.
abstract: Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (nCFb) is an acquired condition of variable etiology. Medical treatment basically involves antibiotics and chest physiotherapy. An impaired mucociliary clearance seems to be one of the mechanisms behind nCFb, and inhaled therapy with mucoactive agents has frequently been used to try to correct it. The most often used mucoactive agents in this setting are N-acetylcysteine, hypertonic saline solution (HS), mannitol powder and recombinant human DNase (rhDNase). Reviewing the international medical literature on the use of these drugs for patients with nCFb from 1992 to the present day, we retrieved 88 articles, only 12 of which met our selection criteria for this analysis. We found only 2 papers and 2 reviews on the use of rhDNase in children, and in adults 3 trials on HS, 5 on mannitol powder and 2 on rhDNase. In conclusion, no observational or randomized controlled trials (RCT) have been published on the use of these drugs in children with nCFb, while the few conducted on adult patients report some evidence of their effects. Further studies are needed on inhaled mucoactive drugs for the treatment of children with nCFb.
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics Department, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Snijders
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calgaro
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bertozzi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quartesan
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kozuh
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lunardi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbato
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001980:Bronchi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001987:Bronchiectasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009079:Mucociliary Clearance / Q000187:drug effects*; D019141:Respiratory System Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019141:Respiratory System Agents