Treating the wheezing infant

The management of infants and small children with asthma is a challenging task because of the many issues unique to this age group. The diagnosis of asthma is limited by inherent difficulties in obtaining objective measures of lung function and airway inflammation. Large prospective studies. need to be performed evaluating the impact of early pharmacologic intervention on the natural history of infantile asthma. Many areas needing investigation involve whicmedications to use, how best to deliver the medications, and how to monitor the response to treatment. Only a few medications have been approved for use in this population. Longterm studies evaluating available drugs such as inhaled glucocorticoids, long-acting beta-agonists, and the leukotriene-modifying agents in young children still need to be performed.