Kim Phan, the 3-year-old grandson of Nam and Yen Nguyen, has been tired and observed to be sitting down a great deal at preschool. Last week, he developed coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, and extreme fatigue. The pediatrician at the Family Medicine Center diagnosed asthma. He prescribed a 5-day tapering course of prednisone, a leukotriene inhibitor (Singulair) 4 mg orally daily at bedtime, and periodic treatments with albuterol through a home nebulizer system.
Nam’s mother, Mai Nguyen, became very upset when she saw the bottle of prednisone elixir. She was even more upset when she learned that Kim received an injection of the medicine in the office. She advised Yen not to give Kim the medicine because she said it causes weak bones and stunts growth. Yen has called the clinic, asking for advice on how to handle this problem.
Questions
- What theoretical knowledge do you need to answer these concerns?
- What are some reliable sources where you might find this information?
- What rationale could you offer to Yen to explain the safety of the prednisone prescription? You will need to use a variety of references to answer this question.
- Yen asks you to explain why Kim received both a shot and pills. How would you respond?
- Why is Kim receiving a leukotriene inhibitor (Singulair) orally and albuterol by nebulizer?