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Biomedical subjects

Jay M Portnoy

Publications and source records attributed to Jay M Portnoy.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Safety of cetirizine in infants 6 to 11 months of age: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: H(1)-antihistamines are widely used for symptom relief in allergic disorders in infants and children; however, there are few prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled studies of these medications in young children, and to date, no such studies have been conducted in infants. OBJECTIVE: This prospective, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was designed to evaluate the safety of the H(1)-antihistamine cetirizine, particularly with regard to central nervous system and cardiac effects, in infants age 6 to 11 months, inclusive. METHODS: Infants who met the entry criteria for age and had a history of treatment with an H(1)-antihistamine for an allergic or other disorder were randomized to receive 0.25 mg/kg cetirizine orally or matching placebo twice daily orally for 1 week. RESULTS: The mean daily dose in cetirizine-treated infants was 4.5 +/- 0.7 mg (SD). No differences in all-cause or treatment-related adverse events were observed between the cetirizine- and placebo-treated groups. A trend was observed toward fewer adverse events and sleep-related disturbances in the cetirizine group compared with the placebo group. No prolongation in the linear corrected QT interval was observed in cetirizine-treated infants compared with either baseline values or with values in placebo-treated infants. CONCLUSIONS: We have documented the safety of cetirizine in this short-term investigation, the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of any H(1)-antihistamine in infants. Additional prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, long-term studies of cetirizine and other H(1)-antihistamines are needed in this population.

Cetirizine↗
PubMed2002

Diagnosing asthma in young children.

Asthma is a respiratory syndrome that frequently is underdiagnosed, particularly in young children. This primarily results from the lack of clinically useful criteria for making the diagnosis in the absence of objective tests, which are problematic in young children. Because new information suggests that delayed diagnosis may lead to permanently decreased lung function that could be prevented by early treatment, it is important that an accurate diagnosis be made as early as possible. Although simple criteria exist for determining if a patient has asthma, there is a tendency to delay making the diagnosis for a variety of reasons, including the observation that many children who begin wheezing at an early age stop wheezing by the time they are 6 years of age, and concerns over adverse effects from falsely labeling a patient with a potentially stigmatizing condition. Young children who receive an incorrect diagnosis of asthma are at an increased risk of receiving unnecessary medications and may be denied life insurance, health insurance, and admission into the military later in life. On close examination, each of these concerns is unfounded. Early diagnosis of asthma has many potentially positive effects; the negative effects have generally been exaggerated and do not stand up to close scrutiny. Routine use of clinically useful criteria for making the diagnosis, as outlined in this review, may help to simplify the process of making an early diagnosis of asthma.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Recent advances in asthma management.

Effective asthma management requires that the diagnosis be made, even if the patient is very young and incapable of doing a pulmonary function test. Agreement on the goals of treatment between the patient and provider leads to a set of outcomes that can be used to measure the effectiveness of treatment and to modify it if needed. The most important component of asthma management is for patients to have a written asthma action plan that guides them to increase treatment when the asthma flares and reduce treatment when it gets better. With early diagnosis and effective treatment it should be possible for patients who have asthma to live normal lives.

Adolescent↗