Heliox, a helium-oxygen gas mixture, has been used for many decades to treat obstructive pulmonary disease. The lower density and higher viscosity of heliox relative to nitrogen-oxygen mixtures can significantly reduce airway resistance when an anatomic upper air-flow obstruction is present and gas flow is turbulent. Clinically, heliox can decrease airway resistance in acute asthma in adults an...

OBJECTIVES To determine whether children with severe acute asthma treated with large doses of inhaled salbutamol, inhaled ipratropium, and intravenous steroids are conferred any further benefits by the addition of aminophylline given intravenously. STUDY DESIGN Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial of 163 children admitted to hospital with asthma who were unresponsive to nebulise...

asthma environmental triggers play important roles in severity of disease. passive smoking could exacerbate asthma symptoms and enhance the decrease in lung function. cotinine levels could be a reflection of passive exposure to the cigarette both in adults and pediatrics. the aim of this study was to determine degree of association of asthma severity and cotinine level as a marker of passive sm...

A randomized, double-blind, crossover trial was designed to compare the acute effects of Combivent and salbutamol on spirometric parameters in patients with moderate to severe asthma. Nineteen patients with a mean baseline forced expiratory volume in 1 sec. (FEV]) less than 65% predicted, were randomized on two separate days to receive two puffs of salbutamol (200 µg) or two puffs of Combiv...

The word asthma is derived from a Greek word meaning difficulty in breathing. The clinical expression of asthma varies from a mild intermittent wheeze or cough to severe chronic obstruction that can restrict normal activity. Acute asthma attacks are triggered by a variety of stimuli, including exposure to allergens or cold air, exercise, and upper respiratory tract infections. Recently, a numbe...

Acute exacerbations of asthma are frequently caused by viral infections, but the inflammatory mechanisms in virus-induced asthma are poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to determine whether viral infection in acute asthma was associated with increased sputum neutrophil degranulation and increased cellular lysis and whether these changes are related to clinical severity. Adults (...

BACKGROUND The mainstay of treatment for acute asthma in children is nebulised beta 2-adrenergic agents such as salbutamol, given with corticosteroids. However, penetration of the drug to the small airways is impeded by obstruction so intravenous salbutamol may be more effective. We assessed the use of intravenous salbutamol in the management of children with acute severe asthma in a double-bli...

BACKGROUND Patients with asthma may be more susceptible to adverse events (AEs) with sublingual immunotherapy tablet (SLIT-tablet) treatment, such as severe systemic reactions and asthma-related events. Using data from eight trials of grass SLIT-tablet in subjects with allergic rhinitis with/without conjunctivitis (AR/C), AE frequencies were determined in adults and children with and without re...

Asthma guidelines should be followed closely to ensure improvement and consistency of outcome. In order to measure compliance with local acute asthma protocols, we reviewed notes of children presenting to our ED with acute asthma. We noted clinical assessment of severity of asthma exacerbation, compared management of cases with local protocols, noted time to first nebulisation, discharge advice...

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that leads to acute symptoms, exacerbations and sometimes, for a small part of the asthmatic population, fatal or near-fatal exacerbations. This as yet significant minority of individuals present with severe asthma and have persisting daily symptoms, and exacerbations despite compliance with high doses of inhaled steroids and additional t...