Tt. Jartti et al., ALTERED CARDIOVASCULAR AUTONOMIC REGULATION AFTER 2-WEEK INHALED SALBUTAMOL TREATMENT IN ASTHMATIC-CHILDREN, European journal of pediatrics, 156(11), 1997, pp. 883-888
We studied the effects of therapeutic 2-week inhaled salbutamol treatm
ent on the cardiovascular and respiratory autonomic nervous regulation
in eight children with asthma. In this randomized: double-blind, plac
ebo-controlled crossover study our test subjects inhaled 200 mu g salb
utamol or placebo thrice daily for 14 days. After the 14-day treatment
we continuously measured electrocardiogram, finger systolic arterial
pressure (SAP) and flow-volume spirometry at baseline and the response
to a single 600 mu g salbutamol inhalation. The periodic variability
components of R-R intervals (the time between successive heart beats)
and SAP in relation to respiration were assessed using spectral analys
is. Two-week salbutamol treatment increased baseline low frequency (LF
) variability (P < 0.05) and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) vari
ability ratio of R-R intervals (P < 0.05) when compared to the placebo
treatment. As a response to the single salbutamol inhalation the incr
ease in LF/HF ratio of R-R intervals was smaller after the 2-week salb
utamol treatment (P < 0.01). No significant differences were found in
the bronchodilatory response after the treatment period. Conclusion Tw
o-week salbutamol treatment shifts the cardiovascular autonomic regula
tion to a new level characterized by greater sympathetic responsivenes
s and slight beta(2)-receptor tolerance. Because these effects were ev
ident 18 h after cessation of the therapy they are likely to reflect t
he adaptation of organ responses to regular therapy or altered central
autonomic regulation rather than direct drug effect. A slight toleran
ce developed in the sympathovagal cardiac response but not in the bron
chodilatory response.