Montelukast Reduces Serum Levels of Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin in Preschool Asthma

Kim, Chang-Keun; Callaway, Zak; Park, Jin-Sung; Nishimori, Hisashi; Ogino, Tikatoshi; Nagao, Mizuho; Fujisawa, Takao

Treatment-related reduction in EDN levels may yield actual patient benefits. In our study, subjects receiving montelukast treatment over 12 weeks had not only a significant increase in the number of ACD compared to the beginning of the study, but also had a statistically similar number of ACD at each time point (4, 8 and 12 weeks) when compared to those receiving BIS treatment (BIS group). This is an interesting finding considering a recent Cochrane Review of 65 studies directly comparing the safety and efficacy of anti-leukotrienes and ICSs as monotherapy found ICS treatment to be superior in a number of respects including symptom-free days. 22 However, it should be noted that no sample size calculation was done for our study. This point will be discussed further in the study limitations section. The BIS group also showed a significant increase in ACD over the 12-week treatment period.