What medications should be used for children with asthma?

  In recent years, China has vigorously promoted the Global Asthma Management and Prevention Strategy (GINA) to bring asthma treatment in China in line with international standards, and the current asthma treatment protocols and therapeutic drugs are basically in line with international standards. The majority of medical personnel have a certain understanding of the new concepts and treatment concepts of asthma, and have adopted a stepwise treatment plan with inhalation therapy as the main treatment, so that the disease of children with asthma can be controlled.  However, for the special group of children, the treatment should pay special attention to whether the inhaled hormones and other inhaled drugs given to the children are inhaled correctly by the children. For children and infants with asthma who are treated by inhalation, the first step is to choose the right medication and inhalation device for the child according to the child’s age and condition.  1, inhalation drugs: At present, in addition to oral drugs, there are three main types of commonly used inhalation drug formulations: solution, aerosol and powder: (1) solution type: asthma treatment drugs, must have power, can use air compression pump to atomize the solution into small particles, through the mouthpiece of the atomization tank (mask type and oral type two), so that the inhaled drugs reach the small airways, the drug can be deposited more in the deeper part of the respiratory tract, to achieve better therapeutic effect.  However, it should be noted that the air compression pump used for nebulized inhalation is not a home use ultrasonic nebulizer or humidifier. Although these machines can see the fog, but the size of the fog particles formed by atomization in the fog is different, only good nebulizers produce nebulized particles between 0.5-5 mm in diameter, such as nebulized particles <0.5 mm is too small particles can be inhaled with the respiratory airflow and exhaled out of the respiratory tract, so that the proportion of deposited in the lower respiratory tract fog particles is very small; such as nebulized particles >5 mm in diameter, the particles are too large, can be inhaled in the lower The proportion of nebulized particles in the airway is too small. So a good nebulizer inhalation device formed in the ideal range of 0.5-5 mm in the proportion of particles, so the treatment effect is good.  (2) Aerosol: It is the most common and widespread form of inhalation for asthma treatment. It is a small device in which the drug is placed, which has the advantages of easy portability and low cost. However, aerosol requires high requirements for inhalation method, which requires good hand and mouth synchronization with inhalation. Each time before use must be fully shaken, when using the nozzle to maintain the vertical position of downward, the doctor should give detailed instructions on the inhalation method. The correct use method is: open the lid and shake the drug evenly, exhale and put the aerosol nozzle into the mouth, then breathe in slowly and deeply synchronized with the spray, preferably for more than 5 seconds, and then hold your breath for 10 seconds, so that the drug is fully distributed to the lower airway to achieve a good therapeutic effect.  (3) Aerosol plus fog storage tank: It should be used for small children and children with poor mastery of synchronized medication. Shake the aerosol evenly and spray it into the fog storage tank, while letting the child inhale deeply and long several times to inhale the drug into the lungs. When using quantitative aerosol with a fog storage tank, multiple doses of medication should not be sprayed into the tank at one time. You should take 4 to 5 deep and long breaths or inhale continuously for more than 30 seconds after spraying into the drug once, and then proceed to the next dose.  (4) Dry powder: the drug form is dry powder particles rather than aerosol, through the child’s active inhalation of air kinetic energy dispersed drug mist particles, and with the inspiratory airflow will be inhaled into the lungs, there is no airflow on the pharynx stimulation, but also does not require hand and mouth synchronized breathing with the flow rate of powder particles and the user’s inspiratory flow rate, inhalation of the lungs to improve the proportion of the oropharynx to retain less, to improve the inhalation effect. Nowadays, the commonly used dry powder inhalers in China are vortex type (DuBao) and spinning disc type (ShuLidi). When using the inhaler, the child should be instructed to hold the inhaler mouthpiece and then use rapid inhalation and continue to inhale for a long time in order to achieve the best inhalation effect. Pay attention to the storage of dry powder, must avoid moisture.  2, inhalation device: children’s medication is different from adults, according to the age of the child, the choice of different devices: (1) 0 to 3 years old children, the use of a mask with a storage tank, inhalation of quantitative nebulizer inhaler drugs. Because the child is small, if the economic conditions allow or the child’s condition is serious, the air compression pump can be applied for power, inhalation of nebulized drug solution for treatment, the effect is better.  (2) Children aged 4 to 5 years: MDI can be inhaled with the aid of an orifice type fog reservoir with a live valve, or a spinning disc inhaler (Schulidian), but the inspiratory flow rate in children of this age, in general, does not reach the flow rate required to use a vortex inhaler (DuPao).  (3) Children aged 6 to 7 years: Inhalation of dry powder with a rotary disc inhaler (Schlitzel) or a vortex inhaler (DuPont) is available.  (4) Children over 7 years old: they can use aerosols, but they often have technical errors of inhalation, so it is very important to instruct them on the correct inhalation method. The use of dry powder drugs without Freon can reduce the local irritation of the throat and the high deposition rate of drugs in the lungs, which can sometimes achieve better therapeutic effects.  Therefore, the choice of different inhalation devices is very important when treating children of different ages. The author has seen some cases in asthma clinics: for example, children aged 3-4 years old use DuPont, and doctors think that they have given the children good drugs, why is the disease still not well controlled? This is because the child is too young and the inhalation airflow is too small to have the strength to suck the medicine in. Some parents rinse the inhaler with water every day, so that the powder inside gets wet and sticks together and cannot be inhaled at all. Some people use aerosols when the inhalation mouthpiece is above, or give aerosols to children lying down with aerosol cans to inhale aerosols, but the drugs sink below because of gravity, so when the aerosol is snapped, no medicine is sprayed out at all. All sorts of unforeseen reasons can cause a child to not receive the ideal treatment.  For children of any age with asthma, especially those with acute asthma attacks, nebulizer inhalation therapy with an air compression pump is the best choice. Other inhalation devices require the child to inhale air at a certain flow rate. Studies have shown that the effective utilization of the drug is directly related to the value of the inhalation airflow. Failure to achieve the required inhalation airflow when using an inhalation device will affect the efficacy of the medication. For example, aerosols require 25-60 liters per minute (L/min); automatic dosing inhalers 30-60 L/min; rotary disc inhalers 30-90 L/min; and vortex inhalers 60-90 L/min. Inhalation flow rates that are too large or too small do not allow for good inhalation of medications.