ABSTRACT
A total of 42 children, aged from 5 to 13, all having been diagnosed as extrinsic asthma cases, were observed with the aim of establishing the average dose needed to maintain serum concentration by means of the administration of a slow-release theophylline preparation. The resultant average dose was of 20.14 +/- 3.2 mg/kg/day for the under-9s and of 19.00 +/- +/- 4.67 mg/kg/day for the older ones. The overall average was 20.08 +/- 3.31 mg/kg/day (range: 14.28 mg/kg/day-28 mg/kg/day). Statistical analysis of salivary and serum theophylline levels simultaneously obtained was carried out, reading a lineal correlation coefficient of 0.89 (p less than 0.001), while the equation for the regression-line relationship was: Se = 1.52.Sa + 0.75. The preparation, with doses every 12 hours, proved to be efficient in maintaining therapeutic levels in most cases. The use of respective salivary levels could prove useful in later observations carried out on these children.
