[Importance of salivary levels of theophylline in monitoring pediatric asthmatic patients].

In order to maintain theophylline serum levels between 10 and 20 mcg/ml., obtaining an average dose of 26.36 +/- 6.42 mg/kg/d (range 11.42 mg/kg/d-48 mg/kg/d), authors have determined average dose of oral theophylline intake needed in a group of 212 infants, 1 to 15 years of age. Statistical analysis of 717 salivary and blood theophylline values simultaneously obtained (both at therapeutic and subtherapeutic levels), was carried out reading a lineal correlation coefficient of 0.93. Correlation that has been sufficiently worked out in many other papers. Once necessary dose for obtaining salivary and blood theophylline therapeutic levels is determined, salivary theophylline concentration may be used as a nonaggressive method control of outpatients, assuring their intake continuity between medical controls and as a good seric level index in a given patient.