Asthma is a common disease in children. It is caused by inflammation of the airways, which can be triggered by colds, allergies, smoke and dust, among others. Symptoms of asthma in children include coughing, wheezing and respiratory distress. Long-term, chronic therapy to prevent asthma attacks includes the use of inhaled steroids. Steroids reduce inflammation and prevent constriction of the airways. The top three inhaled steroids in children are budesonide, fluticasone and beclomethasone.
Budesonide (Pulmicort)
Budesonide is one of the most common inhaled steroids. In children, it is administered by putting the medicine in a nebulizer, a machine that turns the liquid medicine into a vapor, which can be easily inhaled by infants and younger children. It is usually prescribed for use once or twice a day, which adds to the convenience of administration. Common side effects include weakness, tiredness and vomiting.
Fluticasone (Flovent)
Fluticasone is another common inhaled steroid for children with asthma. It comes in a metered dose inhaled. This form of delivery system needs coordination between pressing down on the activator and inhaling the medicine, a process that is burdensome for smaller children. To allow its use in these children, the inhaler is used with a spacer, a plastic tube with a mask at one end and an orifice for the inhaler at the other. The patient or a parent presses the inhaler into the spacer, and the child can breathe the medicine through the mask. Fluticasone is used for one or twice daily inhalation, and comes in different strengths per dose. Like other steroids, flovent can paradoxically worsen asthma symptoms if used incorrectly.
Beclomethasone (Qvar)
Beclomethasone is another inhaled steroid, usually used in children older than five years old. It comes in a pressurized oral inhaler, which can also be used with a spacer. Its manufacturers claim that more medicine gets deposited in the lungs with Qvar than with other inhalers, and that this reduces side effects. Another fact about Qvar is that it is a pro-drug, which means that it does not activate in the mouth, therefore reducing side effects and improving its effectiveness. Common side effects include headache and sore throat.
