Investigating The Effect of Prescribing Vitamin C on Improving the Clinical Symptoms of Asthma in 2-12-Year-Old Children Hospitalized in the Pediatric Ward of Ghaem and Dr. Sheikh Hospitals, Mashhad, Iran

Background Asthma is the most common chronic airway disease in children. We aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin C supplementation on improving the asthma symptoms in children. Materials and Methods: In a double-blind clinical trial: sixty 2-12-year-old children hospitalized with the diagnosis of asthma attack in the Ghaem and Dr. Sheikh hospitals, Mashhad, Iran were randomly assigned into two groups: intervention (receiving vitamin C tablets 500 mg every 12 hours, n=29), and control (receiving placebo, n=31). In each group, at the beginning and end of the hospitalization, one blood sample (3ml) was taken to evaluate the serum level of vitamin C and for other necessary tests. A pediatric resident recorded clinical symptoms at the beginning and every 6 hours until discharged including tachypnea, wheezing, retraction, and hypoxia every six hours until discharge from the hospital. Eventually, the data in the two groups were compared. Results: The mean age of the hospitalized patients was 33±24 months. There was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups regarding the serum level of vitamin C at the beginning of hospitalization and at the time of discharge. A significant difference was found in tachypnea of the hospitalized patients of both groups at 24, and 36 hours post hospitalization. Existence of wheezing in the patients of the intervention and control groups had a significant difference at 18, 36, and 66 hours post-hospitalization (p<0.05). Conclusion According to the results, oral vitamin C prescription in patients with acute asthma symptoms leads to improved respiratory status (tachypnea and wheezing) in 2-12-year-old children. Also, it is effective in reducing the duration of hospitalization of these children.