Follow-up on pediatric patients with bronchiolitis obliterans treated with corticosteroid pulse therapy

• Published in: Orphanet journal of rare diseases 2014-08, Vol.9 (1), p.128-128, Article 128
• Main Authors: Tomikawa, Silvia Onoda, Adde, Fabíola Villac, da Silva Filho, Luiz Vicente Ribeiro Ferreira, Leone, Claudio, Rodrigues, Joaquim Carlos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenoviruses; Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; Airway management; Analysis; Bronchiolitis; Bronchiolitis Obliterans - drug therapy; Bronchiolitis Obliterans - physiopathology; Care and treatment; Child; Child, Preschool; Complications and side effects; Diagnosis; Disease; Drug therapy; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hospitalization; Humans; Infant; Laboratories; Male; Maternal & child health; Medical research; Mortality; Oxygen therapy; Rare diseases; Respiratory diseases; Statistical analysis; Studies; Tomography; Tuberculosis; Ventilation
• ISSN: 1750-1172; 1750-1172
• DOI: 10.1186/s13023-014-0128-2

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a rare but severe disease in children. Currently, there is no consensus on the treatment for BO with respect to the systemic use of corticosteroids. Here we report on the follow-up of children with a diagnosis of BO who were treated with corticosteroid pulse therapy. Forty patients fulfilling the BO diagnosis criteria were treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy in monthly cycles until clinical improvement. After the pulse therapy began, we analyzed the clinical and laboratory data at intervals. Statistical analyses were performed using non-parametric tests to compare repeated measures (Friedman, Wilcoxon) or paired nominal data (McNemar) (α = 5%). The frequency of wheezing exacerbations and hospitalizations was reduced (p = 0.0042 and p