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The plasma half-life of theophylline was determined during and 1 month after serologically confirmed upper-respiratory-tract viral illness in six children with chronic asthma. In this group the plasma-theophylline half-life (mean = 419.8 min) was significantly longer during the acute stage of their illness than 1 month later (mean 249.9 min). There was no appreciable change in half-life in 4 patients who were febrile but in whom seroconversion did not occur. These preliminary results suggest that certain upper-respiratory-tract viral infections may affect theophylline metabolism.

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An experiment, designed to overcome shortcomings in previous work, was conducted to investigate the potential symptomatic benefits of relaxation training in the treatment of asthma in children. Fourteen chronic, severely asthmatic children received three sessions in which they rested quietly, followed by five sessions of relaxation training, and finally three sessions of relaxing as trained previously. Pulmonary function was assessed, in a manner far more definitive than in previous studies, before and after each session, and three additional times at 30-minute intervals thereafter. Tension in the frontales muscles, heart and respiration rates, and skin temperature and conductance were also monitored. Heart rate and to some extent muscle tension results tended to confirm the attainment of relaxed states. However, the lung function results failed to substantiate the previous, preliminary findings of a clinically meaningful change in pulmonary function following relaxation. The status of relaxation in the treatment of asthma was discussed.

The elTects of asthma per .se and of various oral steroid-treatment schedules on linear growth in 231 children with chronic severe asthma (6'2-l6-2 years of age) were evaluated.Asthmatic children who had never received steroids, and those who received occasional steroids, had comparable growth retardation, averaging approximately 1 standard deviation (s.d.) below their age-and sex-spccific predicted means. Children who had been treated for 2 years or longer with alternate-day or daily steroids also did not differ from each other, with both groups averaging approximately 2 s.d. below their predicted means. Growth stunting, intermediate in severity, was found in children treated with frequent intermittent steroids. For groups with steroid medicationhistories of never, occasional, intermittent, alternate-day and daily, the percentage of children with 2 or more s.d. below their predicted heights were 25, 17-4. 28, 50 and 45-5 respectively. The duration and dosage of daily steroid-treatment correlated positively with severity of growth retardation. In addition to norms, the children were also compared with a healthy, same-sex sibling and with predictions from their parents" heights. Regardless of the comparison used, the results were similar. Since genetic and socio-economic factors are controlled by the latter two comparisons, the data indicate that these factors played no role in growth retardation in these children. Growth relardation in asthma appears to be due lo the disease itself, and is accelerated by steroid therapy.

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