[Effectiveness and tolerance of the treatment of infantile bronchial asthma with soluble and delayed-action theophylline]

Abstract

Twenty-seven asthmatic children have been studied in the phase between crises. According to treatment they have been grouped in treated with soluble theophylline and treated with retard theophylline. Initial oral dose was for both groups of 16 mg/kg/day. Three stages have been considered in every patient: control, at 7 days and at 21 days, performing at each time a clinical (symptoms), functional (spirometry) and analytical evaluation (theophylline blood levels). Following results were obtained: Both frequency and intensity of clinical symptoms are progressively reduced along the study. This reduction is more apparent with retard theophylline, that shows a positive significant correlation (p less than 0.05) between blood level-forced vital capacity after 7 days and blood-level-peak flow after 21 days. Incidence of undesired drug effects is comparable in both groups. The number of children showing no adverse drug effects was greater in group of retard theophylline, however, number of adverse drug effects child was greater in this group. Theophylline mean doses required to attain clinical efficacy are similar in both groups. Neither soluble nor retard theophylline provide a mean blood level in therapeutic range after 7 days, however retard theophylline does so after 21 days.