[Efficacy of continuous isoproterenol inhalation therapy for severe asthma attacks in younger children].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of continuous isoproterenol inhalation therapy for severe asthma attacks in younger children, compared with its efficacy in older children. We used l-body isoproterenol (Proternol L) in 31 children with 42 episodes of severe attacks. They were divided into two group according to age: 20 cases under 6 years old (Group A), and 22 cases over 7 years old (Group B). All of the patients except for one in Group B, eventually improved with this therapy. Wood's clinical scores for Group A were significantly higher than those for group B (p < 0.01). In 22 cases whose scores were 5-6, their SpO2 values at the onset of this therapy were 90.8 +/- 3.17 in group A and 92.4 +/- 3.82% in group B. The improvement time of group A (13.6 +/- 16.2 hours) was significantly longer than that of group B (2.5 +/- 5.66, p < 0.01). The nebulized isoproternol doses for group A were 0.47 +/- 0.168 and for group B 0.26 +/- 0.096 mg/kg/saline 500 ml. The dose for group A was significantly higher than that for group B (p < 0.01). We concluded that continuous isoproterenol inhalation therapy was effective even in younger children. But the degree of efficacy was slightly lower in younger children, although they inhaled higher doses of isoproterenal than older children.