Changes in the Lung Clearance Index in Pediatric Patients With Asthma
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2016-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The multiple breath washout (MBW) is one of pulmonary function test that displays flow and
gas concentration plotted against time, and shows an exponential decay in end-tidal gas
concentration (washout curve). A number of of indices to describe the washout curve have been
proposed, the most commonly reported is the Lung Clearance Index (LCI). This is a simple
measure of ventilation heterogeneity derived from MBW, that can be used after challenge with
a short action bronchodilator and in response to inhaled steroids, both in the conductive
airways as acinar. Patients with moderate and severe asthma are characterized by an
abnormality in both, conductive and the acinar airway. Therefore the following research
question could be: what are the abnormalities in the heterogeneity of ventilation in children
with mild and moderate asthma, with respect to the healthy population measured by MBW, and
whether these alterations persist after challenge with inhaled steroids and B2 agonists
short-acting.