[Determination of the mean dose of oral theophylline in asthmatic children (author's transl)]

Abstract

The oral dosage of theophylline was adjusted in order to maintain a serum level between 10 and 20 micrograms/ml. in a group of 53 children whose ages were less tha nine years. A plan of regular increments with a maximal dosage reduced to 18.5 mg./kg./day was followed, with advantageous results. The necessary medium dosage was 18.4 +/- 2.7 mg./kg./day. This dosage didn't have statistically significant difference with that obtained previously by us (18.4 +/- 4.0) in a group of 46 children of comparable age but, by contrast, it had a statistically significant difference when compared with the dosage (24.1 +/- 5.5) obtained by another medical teams working with american children of similar age. After a fruitless search of known causes that could explain these differences, we think in the possibility of genetical and/or unknown environmental influences.