Evidence for Clinical Safety, Efficacy, and Parent and Physician Perceptions of Levocetirizine for the Treatment of Children with Allergic Disease
- نوع فایل : کتاب
- زبان : انگلیسی
- مؤلف : A.N. Pampura a N.G. Papadopoulos b V. ٹpièلk c R. Kurzawa d
- چاپ و سال / کشور: 2011
Description
Allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) are highly burdensome diseases, which are increasing in prevalence, especially in the paediatric population. Despite the availability of a large number of medications for treatment of AR and CIU, their use in children has primarily been based on data obtained from a limited number of clinical trials in children and/or testing in adults. The H 1 -antihistamines have traditionally been used as first-line treatment for the relief of both AR and CIU symptoms in children. The first-generation H 1 -antihistamines are associated with marked adverse effects such as sedation, sleepiness/drowsiness as well as difficulties in learning and cognitive processing; thus, they are recommended for limited or discontinued use in children with AR or CIU. In contrast, second-generation H 1 -antihistamines are more adapted for the use in children with AR and CIU due to better safety profiles. However, only a limited number of trials with these agents have been conducted and generally, data from well-designed trials in children are lacking. Levocetirizine is one of the most extensively investigated H 1 -antihistamines for its pharmacologic properties, safety, efficacy as well as overall global satisfaction in children aged 2–12 years. Levocetirizine is the only H 1 -antihistamine launched in the 21st century shown to lack clinically relevant adverse effects on physical and psychomotor development or routine laboratory tests over a long-term period of 18 months in 1- to 3-year-old children predisposed to development of allergic disease. Available data suggest that levocetirizine is a suitable treatment option for AR and CIU in children aged 6 months to 12 years.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2011;155:367–378 Received: May 17, 2010 Accepted after revision: September 1, 2010 Published online: February 22, 2011
