ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the association between ibuprofen use and pulmonary function in children with Asthma. Methods: Ninety 9- to 10-year-old children were classified into 3 groups: Study group, mild to moderate stable asthmatic children with self-reported aspirin allergy and no history of anaphylaxis; Allergy control group: atopic children (allergic rhinitis/atopic dermatitis); Healthy control group: non-atopic healthy children. None of the participants in the atopic and healthy control groups had a history of aspirin allergy. All received ibuprofen 4 times a day for 3 consecutive days. Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FeV1) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements were performed before and after ingestion of ibuprofen daily for 3 days. Results: In the study group, a decrease in FeV1 and increase in FeNO levels were observed after taking ibuprofen for 2 days. The atopic control group showed only an increase in FeNO but not FEV1. In the healthy control group, both FeV1 and FeNO were unchanged from baseline. Conclusions: The results showed that cross-reactive non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug hypersensitivity may exist between ibuprofen and aspirin. This raises the possibility that asthma exacerbation could be mediated by ibuprofen ingestion.