Advair for Children

Children and Advair

Does your child suffer from asthma or any form of breathing problem? Does your child experience wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath? If this is the case, then Advair may be the solution for your child’s dilemma.

Advair is prescribed to treat two main problems caused by asthma. One is constriction which is the tightening of muscles surrounding your airways and the other is inflammation, the swelling and irritation of your airways.

Constriction and inflammation cause the airways to narrow and reduce airflow into the lungs which may result in wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath. Advair is also used to treat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) associated with chronic bronchitis. Thus, if you feel that your child suffers from any of these problems, consult a qualified doctor and he may prescribe Advair for relieving these symptoms. 

How Advair Works

Advair is a combination drug containing an effective inhaled corticosteroid called Fluticasone propionate which reduces the inflammation in the airways while the other is Salmeterol which acts as a bronchodilator. Bronchodilators are medicines that are breathed in through the mouth to open up the bronchial tubes of the lungs. Thus, the combination of these two medicines work together to relieve asthma symptoms.

Study Carried Out by FDA to Approve Advair in Children

The FDA based its approval for Advair use on the results of a 12-week study of 203 children suffering from asthma, ranging in ages from 4 to 11 years old. The children still had asthma symptoms while they were being treated with low doses of an inhaled corticosteroid.

The purpose of this study was to compare the safety of treating the children with Advair twice daily versus the inhaled corticosteroid alone twice daily.

During the research, it was found that treatment with Advair improved lung function on asthma breathing tests. The study also showed that the two treatments had a similar safety profile.

However, FDA also issued a warning regarding the use of Advair in children. It mentioned that Advair does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden asthma attacks. Also, it should not be taken more than twice a day as it may prove to be harmful.

Side effects of Advair included reduced ability to fight off infections while switching from an oral steroid to the inhaled steroid in Advair, high blood pressure, increased heart rate and changes in heart rhythm.

FDA Approval of Advair in Children

The FDA has approved Advair as an asthma drug for use in young children. The agency approved Advair for the treatment of asthma that was not adequately controlled by inhaled corticosteroid (steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex or synthesized, given as drugs to reduce swelling).