Glucose metabolism in schoolchildren suffering from bronchial asthma who receive basic anti-inflammatory therapy with inhalation glucocorticosteroids

Abstract

Background. Inhalation glucocorticosteroids (iGCS) play a leading role in preventive treatment of bronchial asthma (BA) at the stage to achieve and further maintain control over clinical symptoms of the disease. In spite of a sufficient safety, this group of pharmacological agents has certain side effects. And this issue becomes especially acute after long courses of high doses of medicines in preschool and schoolchildren. The purpose was to study the peculiarities of glucose metabolism in children suffering from bronchial asthma against the ground of administration of inhalation glucocorticosteroids in order to improve therapeutic-preventive measures and management of the disease. Materials and methods. In order to achieve the aim of the study, glycemia level was determined by means of a random sampling method in 74 schoolchildren admitted for exacerbation of bronchial asthma. According to the results obtained the children were divided into two clinical groups of comparison depending on glycemia level, which either exceeded the value 5.5 mmol/l (37 children) or was lower than 5.5 mmol/l (37 children). Results. The signs of disorders available in physical development and susceptibility to excessive body weight in children of both clinical groups could promote disorders to glucose tole­rance. In children from І group, an average blood glucose content 2 hours after meal was 6.43 ± 0.28 mmol/l (minimum 4.8 mmol/l, maximum 9.5 mmol/l). In patients from the group of comparison, these results were 5.49 ± 0.11 mmol/l (4.4–7.7 mmol/l) (P < 0.05), which indicate the impaired glucose tolerance, mainly among the representatives from the clinical group І. It should be noted that in group І except for the patients whose glycemia level did not return to normal level 2 hours after meal was twice as much (86.67 % children), and in the group of comparison — 40.0 % cases (P < 0.01). Conclusions. Fasting hyperglycemia in schoolchildren suffering from bronchial asthma is associated with relative increase of the body weight in every fourth patient, which is twice as much than in children with normal glycemia. Glucose level does not become normal 2 hours after meal in 86.67 % cases among these patients.

Keywords

• children
• bronchial asthma
• glucose
• inhalation glucocorticosteroids