Abstract
Anatomical and physiological changes alter airflow characteristics and aerosol distribution in the developing lung. Correlation between age and aerosol dosimetry is needed, specifically because youth are more susceptible to medication side effects. In this study, we estimate aerosol dosages (particle diameters of 1, 3, and 5 upmum) in a 3 month-old infant, a 6 year-old child, and a 36 year-old adult by performing whole lung subject-specific particle simulations throughout respiration. For 3 upmum diameter particles we estimate total deposition as 88, 73, and 66% and the conducting versus respiratory deposition ratios as 4.0, 0.5, and 0.4 for the infant, child, and adult, respectively. Due to their lower tidal volumes and functional residual capacities the deposited mass is smaller while the tissue concentrations are larger in the infant and child subjects, compared to the adult. Furthermore, we find that dose cannot be predicted by simply scaling by tidal volumes. These results highlight the need for additional clinical and computational studies that investigate the efficiency of treatment, while optimizing dosage levels in order to alleviate side effects, in youth.
Highlights
Anatomical and physiological changes alter airflow characteristics and aerosol distribution in the developing lung
The pulmonary airways continue to develop throughout postnatal growth, impacting both the structure and function of the respiratory tract[4], leading to changes in regional and total dosimetry
Because of their potential to enter the systemic circulation through the vast pulmonary capillary network, inhaled therapeutics are being considered as an effective way to deliver v accinations[5] and gene therapies[6,7]
Summary
Anatomical and physiological changes alter airflow characteristics and aerosol distribution in the developing lung. For 3 μ m diameter particles we estimate total deposition as 88, 73, and 66% and the conducting versus respiratory deposition ratios as 4.0, 0.5, and 0.4 for the infant, child, and adult, respectively Due to their lower tidal volumes and functional residual capacities the deposited mass is smaller while the tissue concentrations are larger in the infant and child subjects, compared to the adult. We find that dose cannot be predicted by scaling by tidal volumes These results highlight the need for additional clinical and computational studies that investigate the efficiency of treatment, while optimizing dosage levels in order to alleviate side effects, in youth. Aerosol medications are frequently used to treat respiratory diseases in children and infants, yet the relationship between age and dose remains unclear. As suggested by o thers[21,22,23,24], anatomical and physiological differences between youth and adults likely result in enhanced dosimetry in juveniles, the disparity in both the total and regional particle deposition northeastern.edu
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