Adrenal suppression: A practical guide to the screening and management of this under-recognized complication of inhaled corticosteroid therapy.

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are the most effective anti-inflammatory agents available for the treatment of asthma and represent the mainstay of therapy for most patients with the disease. Although these medications are considered safe at low-to-moderate doses, safety concerns with prolonged use of high ICS doses remain; among these concerns is the risk of adrenal suppression (AS). AS is a condition characterized by the inability to produce adequate amounts of the glucocorticoid, cortisol, which is critical during periods of physiological stress. It is a proven, yet under-recognized, complication of most forms of glucocorticoid therapy that can persist for up to 1 year after cessation of corticosteroid treatment. If left unnoticed, AS can lead to significant morbidity and even mortality. More than 60 recent cases of AS have been described in the literature and almost all cases have involved children being treated with ≥500 µg/day of fluticasone.The risk for AS can be minimized through increased awareness and early recognition of at-risk patients, regular patient follow-up to ensure that the lowest effective ICS doses are being utilized to control asthma symptoms, and by choosing an ICS medication with minimal adrenal effects. Screening for AS should be considered in any child with symptoms of AS, children using high ICS doses, or those with a history of prolonged oral corticosteroid use. Cases of AS should be managed in consultation with a pediatric endocrinologist whenever possible. In patients with proven AS, stress steroid dosing during times of illness or surgery is needed to simulate the protective endogenous elevations in cortisol levels that occur with physiological stress.This article provides an overview of current literature on AS as well as practical recommendations for the prevention, screening and management of this serious complication of ICS therapy.

Treatment of preschool children presenting to the emergency department with wheeze with azithromycin: A placebo-controlled randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are frequently used to treat wheezing children. Macrolides may be effective in treating bronchiolitis and asthma. METHOD: We completed a prospective, double-blinded, randomized placebo-control trial of azithromycin among pre-school children (12 to 60 months of age) presenting to the emergency department with wheeze. Patients were randomized to receive either five days of azithromycin or placebo. Primary outcome was time to resolution of respiratory symptoms after treatment initiation. Secondary outcomes included the number of days children used a Short-Acting Beta-Agonists during the 21 day follow-up and time to disease exacerbation during the following six months (unscheduled health care visit or treatment with an oral corticosteroid for acute respiratory symptoms). RESULTS: Of the 300 wheezing children recruited, 222 and 169 were analyzed for the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. The treatment groups had similar demographics and clinical parameters at baseline. Median time to resolution of respiratory symptoms was four days for both treatment arms (interquartile range (IQR) 3,6; p = 0.28). Median number of days of Short-Acting Beta-Agonist use among those who received azithromycin was four and a half days (IQR 2, 7) and five days (IQR 2, 9; p = 0.22) among those who received placebo. Participants who received azithromycin had a 0.91 hazard ratio for time to six-month exacerbation compared to placebo (95% CI 0.61, 1.36, p = 0.65). A pre-determined subgroup analysis showed no differences in outcomes for children with their first or repeat episode of wheezing. There was no significant difference in the proportion of participants experiencing an adverse event. CONCLUSION: Azithromycin neither reduced duration of respiratory symptoms nor time to respiratory exacerbation in the following six months after treatment among wheezing preschool children presenting to an emergency department. There was no significant effect among children with either first-time or prior wheezing.

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. METHODS: Diagnosis of asthma in young children, prevention strategies, pharmacotherapy, inhalation devices, immunotherapy and asthma education were selected for review by small expert resource groups. In June 2003, the reviews were discussed at a meeting under the auspices of the Canadian Network For Asthma Care and the Canadian Thoracic Society. Data published up to December 2004 were subsequently reviewed by the individual expert resource groups. RESULTS: This report evaluates early life prevention strategies and focuses on treatment of asthma in children. Emphasis is placed on the importance of an early diagnosis and prevention therapy, the benefits of additional therapy and the essential role of asthma education. CONCLUSION: We generally support previous recommendations and focus on new issues, particularly those relevant to children and their families. This guide for asthma management is based on the best available published data and the opinion of health care professionals including asthma experts and educators.

Inhaled corticosteroids for abnormal pulmonary function in children with a history of chronic lung disease of infancy: study protocol [ISRCTN55153521].

BACKGROUND: There is considerable evidence from the literature that children with chronic lung disease of infancy (CLD) have abnormal pulmonary function in childhood and this could have an impact on their life quality and overall health. There are similarities between CLD and asthma, and corticosteroids are the mainstay treatment for asthma. Many physicians use inhaled corticosteroids in children with CLD with no evidence. Therefore we wish to conduct a randomized double-blinded placebo controlled trial to test for the role of inhaled corticosteroids in children aged from 3 to 9 years with a history of CLD. Our primary hypothesis will be that inhaled corticosteroids are beneficial in children with CLD. METHODS: Our primary hypothesis is that using inhaled steroids; Beclomethasone Dipropionate (QVAR) 100 mcg 2 puffs 2 times a day for 6 weeks will improve the respiratory system resistance and the quality of life in children with CLD. DISCUSSION: We propose that Beclomethasone Dipropionate (QVAR) will affect the pulmonary function after 6 weeks of treatment. In summary we think that our study will highlight knowledge on whether the use of inhaled steroids is clinically effective for CLD.

Surgical versus nonsurgical interventions to relieve upper airway obstruction in children with Pierre Robin sequence.

BACKGROUND: Newborns with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) often experience chronic intermittent hypoxemia/hypoventilation associated with airway obstruction. The heterogeneity of the severity of upper airway obstruction makes management a challenge; the optimal intervention in individual cases is not clear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of surgical/nonsurgical interventions for PRS at two children's hospitals. Patient characteristics and outcomes were examined. METHODS: The present retrospective chart review identified 139 patients with PRS born between 2000 and 2010. Demographic information, mode of airway management, associated anomalies and syndromes, polysomnography results, length of intensive care unit and hospital stay, complications and deaths were extracted. RESULTS: Interventions included prone positioning (alone [61%]), tongue-lip adhesion (45%), nasopharyngeal intubation (28%), continuous positive airway pressure (20%), tracheostomy (19%) and mandibular distraction osteogenesis (5%). Tracheostomies were more prevalent in syndromic patients (P=0.03). Patients who underwent tracheostomy had a lower birth weight (P=0.03) compared with newborns with other interventions. Patients who underwent surgical interventions had longer intensive care unit stays (P<0.001). No intervention was associated with a statistically significant likelihood of requiring a subsequent intervention. Thirty percent of patients underwent polysomnography, with a higher proportion of these using continuous positive airway pressure (n=15) (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In the present descriptive study, patients with syndromic PRS or low birth weight underwent early intervention, which included a tracheostomy. Objective measures of airway obstruction were underutilized. Decision making regarding evaluation and management of upper airway obstruction in this population remains clinician and resource dependent. Reporting data obtained from a large cohort of PRS patients is important to compare experiences and motivate future studies investigating this complex condition.

The relationship between birth weight and childhood asthma: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Because obesity promotes inflammation and imposes mechanical constraints to the airways, a high birth weight may be a risk factor for asthma in childhood. However, to our knowledge, few studies have examined this potential relationship. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between high birth weight and risk of emergency visits for asthma during childhood. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. SETTING: Alberta, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: All neonates born at term (> or =37 weeks) between April 1, 1985, and March 31, 1988, in Alberta (N = 83,595). We divided the cohort into birth-weight categories: low (<2.5 kg), normal (2.5-4.5 kg), or high (>4.5 kg). The cohort was observed prospectively for 10 years.Main Outcome Measure Comparison of risk of emergency visits for asthma over 10 years across the birth-weight categories. RESULTS: Neonates born with a high birth weight had a significantly increased risk of emergency visits for asthma during childhood compared with neonates born with a normal birth weight (relative risk [RR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-1.29). The relationship between birth weight and emergency visits for asthma beyond a birth weight of 4.5 kg was linear, such that every increment of 0.10 kg in birth weight was associated with an additional 10% (95% CI, 2%-19%) increase in the risk of emergency visits for asthma. Other factors associated with an elevated risk for emergency asthma visits during childhood included male sex (RR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.22-1.30), aboriginal status (RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.11-1.29), and low-income status (RR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.06-1.16). CONCLUSIONS: A high, but not low, birth weight is a risk factor for increased emergency visits during childhood. The risk increases linearly beyond a birth weight of 4.5 kg.

Asthma in adolescents: a randomized, controlled trial of an asthma program for adolescents and young adults with severe asthma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is common and is often poorly controlled in adolescent subjects. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of an age-specific asthma program on asthma control, particularly on exacerbations of asthma requiring emergency department treatment, and on the quality of life of adolescents with asthma. METHODS: The present randomized, controlled trial included patients who were 15 to 20 years of age and had visited emergency departments for management of their asthma. The interventional group attended an age-specific asthma program that included assessment, education and management by a team of asthma educators, respiratory therapists and respiratory physicians. In the control group, spirometry was performed, and the patients continued to receive usual care from their regular physicians. The outcomes were assessed by a questionnaire six months after entry into the study. RESULTS: Ninety-three subjects entered the study and were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Of these, only 62 patients were available for review after six months. Subjects in both the control and the intervention groups showed a marked improvement in their level of asthma control, reflected primarily by a 73% reduction in the rate of emergency department attendance for asthma. Other indexes of disease control, including disease-specific quality of life, as assessed by questionnaires, were improved. There was, however, no discernible difference between the subjects in the two groups, with the exception of an improvement in favour of the intervention group in the symptom (actual difference 0.7, P=0.048) and emotional (actual difference 0.8, P=0.028) domains of the asthma quality of life questionnaire. The overall quality of life score favoured the intervention group by a clinically relevant difference of 0.6, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Although all subjects demonstrated a significant improvement in asthma control and quality of life, the improvement attributable to this intervention was limited to two domains in disease-specific quality of life.

Bronchial obstruction secondary to idiopathic scoliosis in a child: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with severe idiopathic scoliosis are reported to have significant pulmonary complications, including recurrent chest infections, alveolar hypoventilation and respiratory failure. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 13-year-old boy with moderate-to-severe scoliosis resulting in torsion or twisting of the bronchus intermedius, which contributed to airflow obstruction defects, as revealed by both spirometry and bronchoscopy. CONCLUSION: We recommend that inspection of the shape of the maximal expiratory flow-volume loop obtained from spirometry, as well as other parameters suggestive of obstructive lung disease, may be important in children with scoliosis. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a child in which pulmonary function testing and direct visualization via a flexible bronchoscope have been used to characterize intrathoracic large airway obstruction.

How do teens view the physical and social impact of asthma compared to other chronic diseases?

We surveyed cognitively normal teens with and without chronic illness regarding the perceived physical and social impact of various chronic diseases including asthma. The overall physical impact of asthma was perceived equivalently to diabetes and arthritis, but less than epilepsy, Down's syndrome, leukemia, and human immunodeficiency virus infection. However, asthma was rated to more commonly cause physical disability (p < 0.001) and restrict activities (p < 0.0005). The social impact of asthma was perceived equivalently to diabetes, but more favorably than the other chronic diseases surveyed. Specifically, teens with asthma were perceived as having fewer behavior problems, being more honest, popular, and fun to be around, but less adept at sports. Only 6 of 149 (4%) teens surveyed expressed any degree of reluctance to befriend peers with asthma.

Low oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry may be associated with a low oxygen affinity hemoglobin variant, hemoglobin Titusville.

The authors describe a 10-year-old Caucasian boy who presented with abnormally low oxygen saturation values on pulse oximetry after a routine tonsillectomy. He was asymptomatic and there was no personal or family history of respiratory, cardiac, or hematologic disorders. Multiple initial investigations were completed without diagnostic yield. Eventually, hemoglobinopathy studies identified the presence of a low oxygen affinity hemoglobin variant, characterized as hemoglobin Titusville. Hemoglobinopathies remain highly prevalent worldwide, with more than 65 low oxygen affinity hemoglobin variants identified to date. Early recognition of abnormal hemoglobin variants in asymptomatic patients may avoid extensive, unnecessary medical investigations.