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，允许将较低剂量的药物直接输送到肺部。为了有效控制哮喘症状，每天持续使用这些吸入器往往是必要的。吸入器现在越来越多地被用于治疗有肺部问题的婴儿。其中许多吸入器不是为这些年幼的儿童设计的，他们可能无法执行有效使用这些吸入器所需的呼吸技巧。并不是患者吸入的所有药物都会进入需要的肺部；大部分留在口腔、喉咙和胃中。我们早期的研究表明，使用吸入器的儿童获得的药物数量存在很大的变异性。我们打算评估提高儿童吸入器治疗效率的重要因素，如吸入颗粒的大小和儿童的呼吸模式。这项研究的结果将使我们能够确定给儿童提供这些药物的最佳方法，使他们在治疗哮喘症状时只接受最低有效剂量，同时将不良影响降至最低。

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.