Short-Term Growth During Treatment with Inhaled Fluticasone Propionate/Formoterol, Fluticasone and Beclomethasone Treatment

Paediatric reference range for overnight urinary cortisol corrected for creatinine

OBJECTIVES

Systemic activity of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) may be assessed via urinary cortisol measurement. Overnight urinary free cortisol corrected for creatinine (OUFCC) has been extensively reported in adult studies. However, a paediatric mass spectrometric (MS) reference range for OUFCC is not established. MS methods for OUFCC avoid cross-reactivity with other steroid hormones and are thus preferable to immunoassays. The aim of the present study was to define an MS OUFCC normative range in children.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of healthy pre-pubertal children from 5 to 11 years. Children collected urine from 10 pm or bedtime, whichever was earlier, until 8 am. Urinary free cortisol was measured via a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay (Acquity UPLC with Xevo TQ-S Mass Spectrometer [Waters]) with in-house reagents. Urinary creatinine was measured using a commercial assay (Roche).

RESULTS

Complete urine collections were obtained from 72 males and 70 females, mean age (SD) 8.6 (1.9) (range 5.0-11.8) years. The OUFCC 95% prediction interval was 1.7-19.8 nmol/mmol. Geometric mean OUFCC was 5.7; range 1.1-24.8 nmol/mmol.

CONCLUSIONS

The obtained normative LC-MS/MS OUFCC reference data facilitate the use of mass spectrometry OUFCC assays in assessment of systemic activity of endogenous and exogenous corticosteroids in children.

Questionnaire about the risk of growth suppression of inhaled corticosteroids

BACKGROUND

Inhaled corticosteroids are associated with a risk of growth suppression in children. The aim of the present study was to assess what children with asthma, lay people and paediatricians feel about the risk of growth suppression by inhaled corticosteroids.

METHODS

A questionnaire was completed by seven populations consisting of 9-19 years old children and adolescents with asthma; 9-19 year olds with another chronic illness; healthy 9-19 year olds; parents to children with chronic conditions; parents to healthy schoolchildren; young adults; and paediatricians.

RESULTS

A total of 1216 individuals completed the questionnaire. A total of 867 individuals (74.6%) would not worry about a risk of 1-year growth suppression in the range of 0.5-2 cm (range: 233 (63.3%) in parents to patients in a secondary referral centre to 59 (86.8%) in the group of paediatricians (χ 2 53.3, df 12, p<0.001; γ -223, error 0.042, p<0.001). A total of 745 individuals (64.3%) said that a loss in final height of 0.5-2 cm would not worry them (range: 34 (54.0%) in paediatricians to 119 (76.3%) in parents to healthy children (χ 2 49.5, df 12, p<0.001; γ -0.073, error 0.039, p=0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Most children with asthma, lay people and paediatricians do not worry about the risk of growth suppression of inhaled corticosteroids in the range up to 2 cm. Paediatricians worry less about the risk of 1-year growth suppression but more about final height suppression than children with asthma and other groups of children and adults. Paediatricians need to address the different concerns of some of their patients on this issue.

A Pilot Study of the Normative Range of Overnight Urinary Free Cortisol Corrected for Creatinine in Children

BACKGROUND

For more than a decade, urinary free cortisol corrected for creatinine (OUFCC) has been used to assess the systemic bioactivity of inhaled corticosteroids in children with asthma. Paediatric normative ranges, however, have not been established. The aim of the present study was to define a preliminary range for OUFCC in Tanner stage 1 children.

METHODS

A post hoc analysis was performed of 26 Tanner stage one children (aged 5-11 years) with mild asthma only requiring prn (pro re nata) treatment with short-acting β₂-agonists, who participated in a 3-way cross-over knemometry study. The study comprised a run-in, two washout periods and three treatment periods (2 weeks each). Urine was collected at the end of each period. A normative range was derived using the 95% prediction interval for the geometric mean OUFCC, calculated from run-in and washout periods.

RESULTS

Twenty-six children contributed 41 OUFCC values. The geometric mean OUFCC was 9.0 nmol/mmol (95% PI: 3.6, 22.7 nmol/mmol).

CONCLUSIONS

The OUFCC preliminary normative range was 3.6 to 22.7 nmol/mmol in Tanner stage one children. A larger study in healthy children is warranted to confirm these findings and to assess potential differences in OUFCC across developmental stages and age groups, and by gender and race.

EUDRACT NUMBER

2013-004719-32, CLINICALTRIALS.

GOV IDENTIFIER

NCT02063139.

A review of the in vitro and in vivo valved holding chamber (VHC) literature with a focus on the AeroChamber Plus Flow-Vu Anti-static VHC

Valved holding chambers (VHCs) reduce the need for inhalation-actuation coordination with pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDIs), reduce oropharyngeal drug deposition and may improve lung deposition and clinical outcomes compared to pMDIs used alone. While VHCs are thus widely advocated for use in vulnerable patient groups within clinical and regulatory guidelines, there is less consensus as to whether the performance differences between different VHCs have clinical implications. This review evaluates the VHC literature, in particular the data pertaining to large- versus small-volume chambers, aerosol performance with a VHC adjunct versus a pMDI alone, charge dissipative/conducting versus non-conducting VHCs, and facemasks, to ascertain whether potentially meaningful differences between VHCs exist. Inconsistencies in the literature are examined and explained, and relationships between in vitro and in vivo data are discussed. A particular focus of this review is the AeroChamber Plus® Flow-Vu® Anti-static VHC, the most recent iteration of the AeroChamber VHC family.