title: Bronchodilator responsiveness in wheezy infants predicts continued early childhood respiratory morbidity.
abstract: Spirometry including bronchodilator responsiveness is considered routine in the workup of asthma in older children. However, in wheezy infants the existence of bronchodilator responsiveness and its prognostic significance remain unclear.
  
  
  
  Infants (< 2 years) with chronic or recurrent wheezing or coughing were evaluated by infant pulmonary function testing (PFT). Maximal expiratory flow at the point of functional residual capacity (V̇maxFRC) was measured before and 20 minutes after salbutamol administration. Only infants with an obstructive profile (V̇maxFRC < 80% predicted) were included. The infants were divided into two groups with regard to whether or not a response to salbutamol was observed on PFT. A response was defined as a mean V̇maxFRC after salbutamol administration exceeding the upper confidence interval limit of individual pre-bronchodilator V̇maxFRC measurements. Follow-up data was gathered after a mean of 2 years.
  
  
  
  Sixty infants were included in the study of which 32 (53%) demonstrated responsiveness to bronchodilators. The infants in the responsive group had a significantly higher frequency of physician visits for wheezing than the non-responders (3.0 mean visits/yr vs. 1.5 respectively, P = 0.03), and had a higher likelihood of having received asthma medication in the last year of the follow-up period (84% vs. 50% respectively, RR: 1.68[1.10-2.56]). At the end of the follow-up period, more parents in the responsive group reported continued respiratory disease (71% vs. 22%, RR:3.21[1.30-7.95]).
  
  
  
  Bronchodilator responsiveness can be demonstrated by infant PFT in infants with recurrent wheezing and can predict increased respiratory morbidity until 3 years of age.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Pediatrics - Mount Scopus, Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Solomon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shavit
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Pulmonology , Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Pulmonology , Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Aliza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Pulmonology , Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Lior
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ben-Dov
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Pulmonology , Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Avraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Avital
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Pulmonology , Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Chaim
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Springer
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Pulmonology , Hadassah University Hospital , Jerusalem , Israel.
authors.forename: Avigdor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hevroni
mesh_terms: D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D011379:Prognosis; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D001993:Bronchodilator Agents
keywords: Respiratory function tests; beta agonists; infant lung function tests; lung function tests