Azithromycin for Children Hospitalized With Asthma

Launched by MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER · Dec 5, 2013

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that accounts for over 130,000 pediatric hospitalizations nationally at a cost of almost 1.4 billion dollars. Atypical pathogens have been implicated both in initiating asthma and triggering acute asthma exacerbations. Azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, is known to have antibacterial activity against atypical pathogens and gram positive bacteria. More recently, macrolides have been increasingly used and effective against gram negative bacteria and inflammation in the lungs of patients with chronic respiratory illnesses. This effect may be secondary to t...

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Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 4-12 years of age
• • Admission diagnosis of asthma at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore
• • History of persistent asthma (as defined by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Concurrent bacterial infection requiring antibiotics
• • Antibiotics received within previous 2 weeks
• • Contraindication to azithromycin (including allergy to macrolides)
• • Chronic lung disease other than asthma (including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis) or home oxygen requirement
• • Immunodeficiency (primary or acquired)
• • Chronic systemic steroid use
• • Invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation required acutely as result of current asthma admission
• • Significant cardiac co-morbidity (including hemodynamically significant cardiac disease or arrhythmia)
• • Liver disease (hepatitis)
• • Pregnancy
• • Seizure disorder, currently on anti-epileptic medication)
• • Receiving albuterol every 4 hours (q4h) at the time of enrollment
• • Previous enrollment in study