Late Breaking Abstract - Complementary effect of pleuran on asthma control in children with partly controlled perennial asthma

<bold>Introduction</bold>: Asthma is a common respiratory disease in children and adolescents exacerbated by viral infections or allergens. Patients and their parents often seek complementary therapy. b-glucans are biologically active polysaccharides with natural immunomodulatory activity. <bold>Aims and objectives</bold>: We evaluated the effects of pleuran (β-glucan from Pleurotus ostreatus) on asthma control and respiratory morbidity in children with partly controlled perennial asthma on GINA-based standard of care (SoC) therapy. <bold>Methods:</bold> Double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, 2-arm parallel study. 230 children (7-17y) were randomised (1:1) to receive 2 caps of pleuran with vitamin C or placebo (vitamin C) daily for 24 wk, followed by 24 wk observation period. Efficacy and safety of complementary pleuran vs placebo were compared. <bold>Results:</bold> 206 children completed the study (113 on pleuran). After 24-wk, children <12y in the active group achieved improved asthma control vs placebo (21.8±3.5 vs 20.3±4.0; p=0.02); while children ≥12y receiving active treatment reported fewer RTIs vs placebo (0.7±1.0 vs 1.9±1.7; p=0.002). Furthermore, children <12y receiving active treatment showed a decrease in asthma exacerbations vs placebo (2.5±1.6 vs 3.3±1.9; p=0.05). At 48-wk, a statistically significant improvement in asthma control was observed in 84.7% of children in the active group vs 67.0% of those on placebo (p=0.01). There were no significant differences in spirometric indices, FeNO or QoL between groups. <bold>Conclusion</bold>: This confirms the safety and efficacy of pleuran on top of SoC in children and adolescents with partly controlled perennial asthma.