title: Halotherapy as asthma treatment in children: A randomized, controlled, prospective pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder requiring intermittent or continuous anti-inflammatory therapy. Patients often turn to alternative treatments as complements or replacements to conventional treatments. We aimed to evaluate the effect of salt room chambers (halotherapy) on bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and quality of life in children with asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 5-13 years with a clinical diagnosis of mild asthma not receiving anti-inflammatory therapy. Patients were randomized in this double-blind, controlled study to salt room with halogenerator (treatment group), or without halogenerator (control group). We evaluated the effect of salt room therapy on BHR, FeNO, spirometry, and pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire (PAQLQ). The treatment period lasted 7 weeks, 14 sessions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine patients were randomized to the salt room with halogenerator (treatment group), and 26 patients to the salt room without salt halogenerator (control group). A statistically significant improvement in BHR was demonstrated in the treatment group, which remained unchanged in the control group. There was no improvement in spirometry or FeNO levels following treatment. The treatment group showed a statistical improvement in most parameters of quality of life questionnaires.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our pilot study suggests that salt room with halogenerator, may have some beneficial effects in mild asthmatic children. Randomized and larger controlled trials with long-term follow-up are necessary. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:580-587. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Pulmonology Institute, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Ronen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bar-Yoseph
authors.affiliation: Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kugelman
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Pulmonology Institute, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.|Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Galit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Livnat
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Pulmonology Institute, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gur
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Pulmonology Institute, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.|Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Fahed
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hakim
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Pulmonology Institute, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Vered
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nir
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Pulmonology Institute, Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.|Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bentur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D045853:Exhalation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D013147:Spirometry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: airway hyper-reactivity; asthma; fractional exhaled nitric oxide; halotherapy; metacholine challenge test