The role of bronchodilation testing in children and adolescents with asthma in clinical practice

Abstract

The change in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) in response to a bronchodilator (ΔFEV₁) is a diagnostic tool. Moreover, bronchodilation testing may give clinically relevant outcomes beyond diagnostic purposes. The present study aimed, therefore, to investigate the nationwide role of bronchodilation testing in daily practice. The study included 280 subjects, 202 (72.1%) males and 78 (27.9%) females; the mean age was 11.6 years. Notably, 67 (24%) children had bronchial reversibility (BDR). Age, initial FEV₁, FEV₁/FVC, and FVC were significantly associated with BDR (OR 1.16, 1.66, 0.71, and 0.67, respectively). Interestingly, 39 (58.2%) children with BDR had no bronchial obstruction. In conclusion, the BDR is usually associated with low values of the lung function parameters, even if within the normal ranges.

Keywords:

• Asthma
• bronchodilation
• reversibility
• asthma control
• children
• adolescents

Declaration of interests

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.