Distribution of monodisperse aerosols inhaled by children for determination of optimal therapeutic inhaler formulations

吸入器是治疗哮喘的主要形式，允许将低剂量的药物直接输送到肺部。每天持续使用这些吸入器通常是有效控制哮喘症状所必需的。吸入器现在越来越多地用于治疗患有肺部疾病的婴儿。许多这些吸入器不是为这些幼儿设计的，他们可能无法执行有效使用这些吸入器所必需的呼吸技术。并不是病人吸入的所有药物最终都会进入肺部需要的地方；很大一部分留在口腔、喉咙和胃里。我们早期的研究表明，使用吸入器的儿童接受的药物量有很大的差异。我们打算评估与提高儿童吸入器治疗效率有关的重要因素，如吸入颗粒的大小和儿童的呼吸方式。从这项研究中获得的结果将使我们能够确定向儿童提供这些药物的最佳方法，以便他们只接受治疗哮喘症状的最低有效剂量，同时最大限度地减少不必要的影响。

Inhalers are the primary form of treatment for asthma, allowing the delivery of lower doses of medication directly to the lungs. Consistent daily use of these inhalers is often necessary to effectively control the symptoms of asthma. Inhalers are now increasingly used to treat infants with lung problems. Many of these inhalers are not designed for use by such young children, who may be unable to perform the breathing techniques necessary for effective use of these inhalers. Not all the drug inhaled by patients will end up in the lungs where it is needed; a large proportion is left in the mouth, throat and stomach. Our earlier studies have shown that there is a large amount of variability in the amount of drug received by children using inhalers. We intend to assess the important factors involved in improving the efficiency of inhaler therapy for children, such as the size of the inhaled particles and the breathing pattern of the child. The results obtained from this study will enable us to determine the best method of delivering these drugs to children so that they only receive the lowest effective dose for treatment of the symptoms of asthma while minimising unwanted effects.