Hypoxic conditioning in comprehensive rehabilitation of children with bronchial asthma after coronavirus infection

Prevention and treatment of long-term symptoms of coronavirus infection in children with bronchial asthma (BA) is currently a significant challenge due to the scale of COVID-19 pandemic. Objective. To evaluate the efficacy and safety controlled hypoxic stimulation in children after coronavirus infection, including those with BA. Patients and methods. This study included 72 children aged 9–12 years who had had COVID-19 at least 1.5–2 months before the enrollment;of them, 24 patients had mild to moderate BA. Study participants were randomized into two groups: ‘intermittent hypoxic training’ (IHT, n = 31) and ‘intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic training’ (IHHT, n = 41). Before the procedures, we assessed hypoxic resistance of children using a hypoxic test. The following parameters were measured before and after the course, which included 10 procedures: hypoxic resistance (hypoxic index, time to desaturation, and reoxygenation time), spirometry parameters (forced expiratory volume in 1 second, peak expiratory flow, and airway resistance), changes in systolic/diastolic pressure, heart rate variability, tolerability of procedures (using a visual analog scale), and anxiety level (CMAS test). Results. We found no significant differences between BA and non-BA children in their spirometry parameters and hypoxic resistance. We observed good tolerability of the procedures in children from different groups. After the course of IHT/IHHT, patients demonstrated a significant increase in their resistance to hypoxic stimulation. IHHT procedures were more effective and safer than IHT according to spirometry parameters (RINTexp), tolerability, and anxiety level. Conclusion. Hypoxic conditioning procedures can be recommended as a part of comprehensive rehabilitation in BA children who had had COVID-19. © 2021, Dynasty Publishing House. All rights reserved.