Complementary and alternative medicine use in children with asthma.

Purpose: To estimate the overall prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine and specific modalities used among children with asthma, identify predictors of use, and perceived positive or negative effects of therapies.

Results: Of the 161 children enrolled in the study, 76.4% had ever used complementary and alternative medicine.

Complementary and alternative medicine use in children with cystic fibrosis.

Purpose: To estimate the overall prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use among children with cystic fibrosis, determine specific modalities used, predictors of use and subjective helpfulness or harm from individual modalities.

Results: Of 53 children attending the cystic fibrosis clinic in London, Ontario (100% recruitment), 79% had used complementary and alternative medicine. The most commonly used modalities were air purifiers, humidifiers, probiotics, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Canadian Pediatric Asthma Consensus guidelines, 2003 (updated to December 2004): introduction.

Background: Although guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma have been published over the last 15 years, there has been little focus on issues relating to asthma in childhood. Since the last revision of the 1999 Canadian asthma consensus report, important new studies, particularly in children, have highlighted the need to incorporate this new information into asthma guidelines.

Objectives: To review the literature on asthma published between January 2000 and June 2003 and to evaluate the influence of new evidence on the recommendations made in the Canadian Asthma Consensus Report, 1999 and its 2001 update with a major focus on pediatric issues.

Fluticasone propionate 100 microg bid using a non-CFC propellant, HFA 134a, in asthmatic children.

Background: Secondary to phasing out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the fluticasone propionate (FP) pressurized metered-dose inhaler has been formulated in a nonozone-depleting propellant, hydrofluoralkane (HFA) 134a.

Objectives: To demonstrate equivalent efficacy and safety of FP 200 microg daily propelled by HFA 134a to FP 200 microg daily propelled by CFCs 11 and 12 over a four-week treatment period in pediatric asthmatic patients.

Methods: The study was multinational, randomized, double blind and of parallel group design.