THE FIRST 20 MINUTES AFTER A SINGLE-DOSE OF INHALED SALMETEROL IN ASTHMATIC-CHILDREN

Very little is known as yet about the effect of salmeterol in pediatri c asthma, so a trial was performed on children with mild asthma to com pare salmeterol with salbutamol in terms of how quickly they took effe ct. The double-blind study involved 11 children (mean age 13.4 years) randomly assigned to inhale salmeterol 50 mu g, salbutamol 200 mu g, o r a placebo three times on alternate days. Peak expiratory flow (PEF), heart rate, and blood pressure were measured before and 5, 10, 15, an d 20 min after administering the medication. With salbutamol, PEF was higher at 5 and 10 min, subsequently dropping off at 15 and 20 min; wi th salmeterol, PEF was better at 10 and 20 min. Forced expiratory volu me at 1 s (FEV(1)) measurements taken at the baseline and after 10 and 20 min revealed an important and consistent rise in values after salm eterol, whereas salbutamol was more effective after 10 min than after 20 min. No significant changes were recorded in heart rate or blood pr essure after salbutamol; after salmeterol, there was a significant inc rease in heart rate after 5 min, but not at subsequent measurements. I n conclusion, salmeterol begins to take effect already within 10 min o f a single administration in asthmatic children, although the onset of its effect is slower than with salbutamol.