%0 Journal Article %A Markus Koch %A Heribert Mentzel %A Rosina Ledermüller %T Inhalation therapy with hypertonic saline (3%) – A treatment option for airway disease in children? %D 2015 %R 10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.PA1251 %J European Respiratory Journal %P PA1251 %V 46 %N suppl 59 %X Introduction: The inhalation of 3% hypertonic saline (HS) is chosen increasingly often for the treatment of airway disease amongst children.Aims and Objectives: The aim was to determine which patient groups (age, diagnosis) receive inhalation therapy with 3% HS and what clinical benefit can be achieved.Methods: In this multicentre non-interventional retrospective survey, paediatricians from 42 practices and clinics in Germany and Austria evaluated the inhalation therapy with 3% HS (Mucoclear 3%) given to 106 patients. The parameters mucolysis, cough, wheezing, hoarseness, course of the disease, absence from child care or school were rated on a scale from 1 (no effect) to 10 (very good effect) in the questionnaire used. Further parameters were acceptance, tolerance as well as side effects of the treatment.Results: Patients in the age groups 0-1(43%), 1-3(24%), 3-5(18%), 5-10(29%), >10(11%) with acute bronchitis (36%), chronic bronchitis (20%), bronchiolitis (19%) and asthma (11%) benefitted in terms of secretolysis, cough, course of the disease and days off child care/school. The reduced need for additional mucolytics, the acceptance and tolerability, as well as the very low rate of side effects with the 3% HS treatment were rated as very good.Conclusions: Participating paediatricians successfully used inhalation therapy with 3% HS to treat airway diseases in children up to the age of 10 and older. Patients benefited from a reduction in symptoms, number of days off sick and reduced need for drugs as well as an improvement in general course of disease. %U