Position Paper on short-acting beta-2 agonists for acute wheezing episodes in children aged below 6 years. A statement proposed by the Italian Pediatric Respiratory Society (Società Italiana per le Malattie Respiratorie Infantili, SIMRI) Asthma Commi

The term 'wheeze' denotes a common clinical sign observed in various respiratory obstructive diseases among pediatric patients.It affects approximately one out of every three children under the age of three.In children aged below 6 years, viral respiratory tract infections commonly trigger the episode of wheeze, although some children may wheeze in response to other triggering factors.Short-acting beta-2 agonists, that proved to be a safe and wieldy drug, represent the first-line treatment for managing acute wheezing attacks in preschoolers, regardless of the severity of wheezing.Their bronchodilator action is established within 5 minutes and lasts for 4-6 hours.This statement outlines the role, the mechanisms of action and side effects of short-acting beta-2 agonists and reports the recommendations of the Italian Pediatric Respiratory Society (Societ Italiana per le Malattie Respiratorie Infantili, SIMRI) in treating acute wheezing episodes in children younger than 6 years. IMPACT STATEMENTSABA, that proved to be a safe and wieldy drug, represents the first-line treatment for managing acute wheezing attacks in preschoolers.This statement outlines the role, the mechanisms of action and side effects of short-acting beta-2 agonists in children aged under 6 years.Doi 10.56164/PediatrRespirJ.2024.