Clinical evaluation and treatment of acute asthma exacerbations in children.

This update on treatment of asthma exacerbations in children is the result of an Italian Pediatric Society Task-force, made up of a panel of experts working in 2007-2008. The aim is to give clear indications on the use of the drugs most employed in children, grading the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations. Suggestions on their limits due to unlicensed and off-label use are reported. The level of evidence and the strength of recommendations for different therapeutic approaches demonstrate that frequently the use of drugs in children is extrapolated from the experience in adults and that more studies are required to endorse the correct use of different drugs in asthmatic children.