Jose A Castro-Rodriguez1, Carlos E Rodriguez-Martinez2,3, Francine M Ducharme4,5. 1. Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Cardiology, School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. 2. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. 3. Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia. 4. Departments of Pediatrics and of Social and Preventive Sciences, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada. 5. Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Most international asthma guidelines recommend that children ≤5 years with asthma or recurrent wheezing be treated with daily low- moderate dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) as the preferred controller and leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) as alternative therapy. There is no systematic review comparing the efficacy of ICS versus LTRA monotherapy in this age group. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of daily ICS versus LTRA in preschoolers with asthma or recurrent wheezing. METHODS: Randomized, prospective, controlled trials published by December 2017, with a minimum of 3-month therapy with daily ICS versus LTRA were identified. The co-primary outcomes were the number of wheezing episodes and daily symptom score. Secondary outcomes included unscheduled emergency visits, need of rescue systemic corticosteroids (SC), hospitalization for exacerbations, lung function, and adverse effects. RESULTS: Of 29 trials identified, six studies (n = 3204 patients, 62% males, age range: 6-54 months) met the inclusion criteria; two were at low risk of bias. Five pertained to children with asthma; one to those with recurrent wheezing. No outcomes were similarly reported in the six studies, preventing meta-analysis. Based on trials at lowest risk of bias and the largest open-labelled studies, ICS was associated with better control of symptoms and less exacerbations than LTRA. And also less need for rescue SC. Insufficient data of high quality prevented firm conclusions on other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In preschoolers with asthma or recurrent wheezing, daily ICS appears more effective than daily LTRA for improving symptom control and decreasing exacerbations, particularly those requiring rescue SC, although the magnitude of benefit remains to be quantified.
BACKGROUND: Most international asthma guidelines recommend that children ≤5 years with asthma or recurrent wheezing be treated with daily low- moderate dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) as the preferred controller and leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) as alternative therapy. There is no systematic review comparing the efficacy of ICS versus LTRA monotherapy in this age group. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of daily ICS versus LTRA in preschoolers with asthma or recurrent wheezing. METHODS: Randomized, prospective, controlled trials published by December 2017, with a minimum of 3-month therapy with daily ICS versus LTRA were identified. The co-primary outcomes were the number of wheezing episodes and daily symptom score. Secondary outcomes included unscheduled emergency visits, need of rescue systemic corticosteroids (SC), hospitalization for exacerbations, lung function, and adverse effects. RESULTS: Of 29 trials identified, six studies (n = 3204 patients, 62% males, age range: 6-54 months) met the inclusion criteria; two were at low risk of bias. Five pertained to children with asthma; one to those with recurrent wheezing. No outcomes were similarly reported in the six studies, preventing meta-analysis. Based on trials at lowest risk of bias and the largest open-labelled studies, ICS was associated with better control of symptoms and less exacerbations than LTRA. And also less need for rescue SC. Insufficient data of high quality prevented firm conclusions on other secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In preschoolers with asthma or recurrent wheezing, daily ICS appears more effective than daily LTRA for improving symptom control and decreasing exacerbations, particularly those requiring rescue SC, although the magnitude of benefit remains to be quantified.
Authors: Giuseppe Fabio Parisi; Sara Manti; Maria Papale; Alessandro Giallongo; Cristiana Indolfi; Michele Miraglia Del Giudice; Carmelo Salpietro; Amelia Licari; Gian Luigi Marseglia; Salvatore Leonardi Journal: Acta Biomed Date: 2022-05-11
Authors: Marzia Duse; Francesca Santamaria; Maria Carmen Verga; Marcello Bergamini; Giovanni Simeone; Lucia Leonardi; Giovanna Tezza; Annamaria Bianchi; Annalisa Capuano; Fabio Cardinale; Giovanni Cerimoniale; Massimo Landi; Monica Malventano; Mariangela Tosca; Attilio Varricchio; Anna Maria Zicari; Carlo Alfaro; Salvatore Barberi; Paolo Becherucci; Roberto Bernardini; Paolo Biasci; Carlo Caffarelli; Valeria Caldarelli; Carlo Capristo; Serenella Castronuovo; Elena Chiappini; Renato Cutrera; Giovanna De Castro; Luca De Franciscis; Fabio Decimo; Iride Dello Iacono; Lucia Diaferio; Maria Elisa Di Cicco; Caterina Di Mauro; Cristina Di Mauro; Dora Di Mauro; Francesco Di Mauro; Gabriella Di Mauro; Mattia Doria; Raffaele Falsaperla; Valentina Ferraro; Vassilios Fanos; Elena Galli; Daniele Giovanni Ghiglioni; Luciana Indinnimeo; Ahmad Kantar; Adima Lamborghini; Amelia Licari; Riccardo Lubrano; Stefano Luciani; Francesco Macrì; Gianluigi Marseglia; Alberto Giuseppe Martelli; Luigi Masini; Fabio Midulla; Domenico Minasi; Vito Leonardo Miniello; Michele Miraglia Del Giudice; Sergio Renzo Morandini; Germana Nardini; Agostino Nocerino; Elio Novembre; Giovanni Battista Pajno; Francesco Paravati; Giorgio Piacentini; Cristina Piersantelli; Gabriella Pozzobon; Giampaolo Ricci; Valter Spanevello; Renato Turra; Stefania Zanconato; Melissa Borrelli; Alberto Villani; Giovanni Corsello; Giuseppe Di Mauro; Diego Peroni Journal: Ital J Pediatr Date: 2021-04-21 Impact factor: 2.638