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CAMP: Decreased lung growth, function
PHILADELPHIA — Researchers unveiled more than 14 years of findings from the Childhood Asthma Management Program study.
According to Stanley J. Szefler, MD, variable patterns of lung development that are associated with different clinical, physiologic and structural outcomes seem to be emerging in the pediatric population.
“The CAMP study cohort is an excellent group to evaluate the natural history of mild to moderate persistent asthma,” Szefler, head of pediatric clinical pharmacology of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, said at the meeting.
“We found that patterns of lung function development can be identified by evaluating FEV1 percentage over time. When physicians monitor lung function over time, they will observe these patterns and can make management decisions to address these specific patterns of lung development.”
This is the first long-term study of various groups of children with asthma in the United States, and the results suggest that we should institute appropriate care in children as early as possible in order to possibly alter the course of their disease, which means that pediatricians need to diagnose asthma early on in life. Care should include appropriate pharmacologic interventions, environmental control (especially allergens and cigarette smoke) and the consideration of immunotherapy for the appropriate child. The crucial part of this study will be to see what happens to these children as they become adults.
– Gary S. Rachelefsky, MD
Infectious Diseases in Children Editorial Board member
For more information:
- Szefler SJ. CAMP continuation study outcomes: maximal lung growth and early lung function decline in children with asthma. #3301.