Community-aquired pneumonia in asthmatic children with different duration of inhaled corticosteroid therapy

Abstract

Background. The continuing increase of the prevalence of asthma in the world, the lack of the expected therapeutic effect of current programs, make this phenomenon to be studied. One of the main causes of asthma exacerbation and worsening of the prognosis in the children’s population are infectious diseases that occur in connection with steroid therapy used in the asthma treatment.
 Aim: to study the relationship of steroid therapy in asthmatic children with the occurrence of community-acquired pneumonia, that changes asthma symptoms in them.
 Materials and methods. 39 children aged 3-18 years old with atopic asthma who received corticosteroid therapy, were examined. All patients were divided into 4 groups: Group 1 – patients received inhaled corticosteroids for 2 years; Group 2 – for 3-5 years; Group 3 – for more than 5 years; Group 4 – patients with newly diagnosed asthma and a short course of corticosteroid therapy in the remission.
 Results. The frequency of community-acquired pneumonia was analyzed in all groups. Strong positive correlation between the duration of use of moderate and moderate/high dose inhaled corticosteroid therapy in asthmatic children for more than 2 years and the occurrence of community-acquired pneumonia with development of complications (pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary bullae, bronchiectasis) in 48.7% them was revealed.
 Conclusions. Strong positive correlation between the duration of moderate and moderate/high dose inhaled corticosteroid therapy in asthmatic children for more than 2 years and the occurrence of community-acquired pneumonia in them was revealed, that necessitates the antibiotics to be included in the medication therapy of asthma.