The effect of montelukast sodium plus budesonide on the clinical efficacy, inflammation, and pulmonary function in children with cough variant asthma

Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the clinical efficacy of montelukast sodium (MKST) combined with budesonide (BUD) on children with cough variant asthma (CVA) and its influence on inflammation and pulmonary function (PF). Methods: One hundred and sixty-six children with CVA treated in the Affiliated Nanhua Hospital, University of South China from May 2017 to August 2019 were randomized into a joint group (JG, n=92) for the combination therapy of MKST and BUD, and a control group (CG, n=74) for BUD monotherapy. Their clinical symptoms, total response rates (RR), PF, and inflammatory factor expressions were evaluated before and after treatment. The adverse reactions during the treatment were statistically compared between the two groups, and the factors influencing the curative effect were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: The JG presented markedly less cough resolution times, expectoration and wheezing, and a shorter body temperature recovery time than the CG after the treatment. The post-treatment forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), the forced vital capacity (FVC), the FEV1/FVC and the peak expiratory flow (PEF) levels as well as the Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores were statistically higher in the JG than in the CG. The JG had notably lower IgE, TNF-alpha, and IL-8 levels than the CG after the treatment. The total RR in the JG was observably higher than it was in the CG after the treatment, but the total adverse reaction rate identified no evident difference between the two series. Children with a family history of allergies, a family medical history, low ACT scores, high IgE expressions, high TNF-alpha expressions, and high IL-8 expressions, as well as BUD intervention are at increased risk of reduced efficacy. Conclusions: The reduction of efficacy in children with CVA results from multiple risk factors. MKST combined with BUD can ameliorate the PF of children with CVA, reduce their inflammatory factors, and improve the curative effect and the prognosis.