Bronchodilator responsiveness using spirometry in healthy and asthmatic preschool children

• Published in: Archives of disease in childhood 2013-02, Vol.98 (2), p.112-117
• Main Authors: Borrego, Luis Miguel, Stocks, Janet, Almeida, Isabel, Stanojevic, Sanja, Antunes, João, Leiria-Pinto, Paula, Rosado-Pinto, José E, Hoo, Ah-Fong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Albuterol - therapeutic use; Asthma; Asthma - drug therapy; Asthma in children; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; Bronchodilator agents; Bronchodilator Agents - therapeutic use; bronchodilator responsiveness; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child, Preschool; Childhood asthma; Control Groups; Dosage and administration; Drug therapy; Forced Expiratory Volume - drug effects; General aspects; Guidelines; Humans; Investigative techniques of respiratory function; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Lung function tests; Measurement Techniques; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Patient outcomes; Physicians; Portugal; Preschool children; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quality Control; repeatability; reproducibility; Reproducibility of Results; Respiratory function; Spirometry; Spirometry - methods; Statistical Analysis; Young Children
• ISSN: 0003-9888; 1468-2044
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2012-301819

Objective To assess repeatability and reproducibility of spirometry measurements, and bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR), in healthy 3–6-year-old preschool children and those with asthma. Design Spirometry was performed before and 20 minutes after administering either inhaled placebo (for repeatability) or 400 μg salbutamol (for BDR) on two separate occasions (reproducibility) 3–23 days apart in asthmatic preschoolers and healthy controls. Settings Lung Function Laboratory, Hospital de Dona Estefania, Lisbon. Participants Healthy preschool children and those with physician-diagnosed asthma, recruited from local Health Clinics and Outpatient Clinic. Main outcome measures Paired measurements of forced expired volume in 0.75 s (FEV0.75) and forced mid-expiratory flows (FEF25–75). Results Technically successful baseline results were obtained in 86% of children assessed. Paired data were obtained in 43 asthmatic and 22 controls (median (range) age: 5.1 (3.4–6.8) years). Baseline FEV0.75 was significantly lower in asthmatic children (mean (SD): 90 (15)% predicted) than in controls (102 (13) % predicted; p