Early short course treatment of pediatric asthma beneficial

In his lecture entitled "Wheezing Kids and Childhood Asthma," associate Prof. Colin Robertson, director of research, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and guest speaker during the annual convention of the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) held last April 26 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), highlighted that a short course of an anti-leuketriene medicine montelukast, used at the first sign of an asthma episode, was shown to effectively reduce acute health care resources by 28.5 percent; days off school or child care by 37 percent; parent time off work by 33 percent; nights awakened by nine percent; and symptoms score by 10 percent.

Asthma is a condition in which the airway passages narrow – usually reversibly – in response to certain stimuli. Those afflicted with asthma experience asthma attacks that can begin suddenly with wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. It is estimated that around 300 million people in the world currently have asthma. In the Philippines, it has been reported that asthma affects 6.2 percent of the population.

Robertson stressed that for children with intermittent asthma, the short course treatment using montelukast provides clinical benefits and a cost effective approach to asthma management.

When asked if there would one day be a cure for asthma particularly in children, Robertson said that so far, none of the available drugs today influences the natural course of the disease – they just help control the disease. "The world is still searching for a cure to be developed. It would be fantastic if we have it," said Robertson.

With most countries worldwide developing a national guideline, a standard approach to the management of asthma is becoming available for everyone. With this, there has been a significant improvement in the management of asthma worldwide, according to Associate Prof. Colin Robertson.