Lung clearance index and steroid response in pediatric severe asthma.

Introduction: Lung clearance index (LCI) is a measure of airway disease that has been shown to be abnormal in asthma. We hypothesized that LCI would be higher (worse) in children with severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) compared with difficult asthma (DA) and healthy controls and that LCI would fall in response to parenteral steroids in STRA.

Methods: Sixty-four children with asthma who were prescribed high-dose asthma therapy (GINA steps 4 or 5) performed LCI and spirometry.

The importance of nurse-led home visits in the assessment of children with problematic asthma.

Objective: To evaluate and identify potentially modifiable factors in children with problematic asthma by a nurse-led assessment and home visit.

Design: Observational cohort study.

Setting: A tertiary paediatric respiratory centre.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia in the paediatric population: range and severity of radiological findings in a cohort of patients receiving tertiary care.

Aim: To investigate the clinical range and severity of radiological findings in a cohort of patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) receiving tertiary care.

Materials And Methods: The case notes and clinical test results of 89 children attending the paediatric respiratory disease clinic at our institution were retrospectively analysed. Demographic details including age at diagnosis and common presenting signs and symptoms were studied.

Subcutaneous terbutaline in children with chronic severe asthma.

A continuous subcutaneous infusion of terbutaline (CSIT) was used to treat 8 children with chronic severe asthma who continued to experience frequent symptoms, despite treatment with regular oral prednisolone. Five patients experienced a symptomatic improvement from CSIT, leading to a reduction in regular medication. Three patients did not experience any lasting benefit from CSIT.