Roxithromycin Attenuates Acid-Induced Cough and Water-Induced Bronchoconstriction in Children with Asthma

Abstract

In the present study, we evaluated the effect of roxithromycin, a semisynthetic macrolide antibiotic, on the cough response to inhaled acetic acid (AA) and on the bronchoconstriction induced by ultrasonically nebulized distilled water (UNDW) in children with asthma. Ten hospitalized asthmatic children (8 boys and 2 girls, mean ± SEM age 12.6 ± 0.4 years) were enrolled in this study. They were treated with 150 mg of roxithromycin once a day orally for 8 weeks without any side effects. All the patients underwent AA inhalation challenge before and 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the administration of roxithromycin. Seven of the 10 patients, who had a fall in FEV₁ of at least 20% after UNDW inhalation, underwent UNDW inhalation challege at the same time. The cough threshold values, the lowest concentrations of AA eliciting coughs, and UNDW provocative dose producing a 20% fall in FEV₁ (UNDW PD₂₀) values 4 or 8 weeks after the administration of roxithromycin increased significantly over the initial values (p < 0.05). No significant change was observed in baseline FEV₁ or serum theophylline concentrations throughout the study. These results support the notion that administration of roxithromycin may have favorable results in the treatment of childhood asthma.

Key Words:

• Acetic acid
• Bronchial hyperresponsiveness
• Childhood asthma
• Cough threshold
• Distilled water
• Roxithromycin