r clinical pharmacology WE ARE STill lEARNING ABOUT DIGOXIN Is the adult 'therapeutic range' applicable to children? A study of digoxin serum and salivary levels in 5. 3 children on the drug for more than I month suggests that heart failure in children can be controlled with lower serum digoxin levels than· in adults. Although only 7.5. % of patients had serum digoxin concentrations within the adult 'therapeutic range', heart failure was controlled in 73 % of children. Adequacy of control did not correlate with serum/ salivary digoxin concentrations. Only 2 of the 53 patients had clinical signs of possible digoxin toxicity (vomiting). Their serum levels were 1.7 and O.92ng/ml. It is suggested that the adult therapeutic range of 1-2ng/ml is not applicable to children, for they can apparently be controlled at lower concentrations. However it is possible that a number ofthe children studied may have no longer needed digoxin therapy. Buchanan, N. et a!.: South African Medical Journal 56: 638 (I 3 Oct 1979) 0156-2703/79/ 1103-0013 $00.50/0 © AOIS Press INPHARMA 03 Nov 1979 13

WE ARE STILL LEARNING ABOUT DIGOXIN

Download PDF Report

Upload
vankhuong
View
212
Download
0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

clinical pharmacology

WE ARE STill lEARNING ABOUT DIGOXIN

Is the adult 'therapeutic range' applicable to children? A study of digoxin serum and salivary levels in 5. 3 children on the drug for more than I month suggests that heart failure in children can be controlled with lower serum digoxin levels than· in adults. Although only 7.5. % of patients had serum digoxin concentrations within the adult 'therapeutic range', heart failure was controlled in 73 % of children. Adequacy of control did not correlate with serum/ salivary digoxin concentrations. Only 2 of the 53 patients had clinical signs of possible digoxin toxicity (vomiting). Their serum levels were 1.7 and O.92ng/ml. It is suggested that the adult therapeutic range of 1-2ng/ml is not applicable to children, for they can apparently be controlled at lower concentrations. However it is possible that a number ofthe children studied may have no longer needed digoxin therapy. Buchanan, N. et a!.: South African Medical Journal 56: 638 (I 3 Oct 1979)

0156-2703/79/ 1103-0013 $00.50/0 © AOIS Press INPHARMA 03 Nov 1979 13