Introduction:

recurrent wheezing is frequent in children. The use of Montelukast has increased in the last years to treat recurrent wheezing. The study aims to analyze Montelukast’s efficacy in children younger than 5 years old with recurrent wheezing. Method: a PubMed search was conducted using the following Mesh words: "Montelukast", "wheezing", "respiratory sound" and "preschool", for the period between 2000 and 2016. Clinical trials and systematic reviews in children younger than 5 years old, were considered for the study. Results: five clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. The main outcomes of these trials were extremely variable (number of exacerbations, free symptoms, period of use of (2 agonists, use of corticosteroids, rate of hospitalization, and visit to the emergency department). Results were different between the analyzed trials. Montelukast was not better than placebo to reduce the number of visits to the emergency department (0.19 vs 0.28 events/year) and the hospitalization rate (0.07 vs 0.13 events/year). In another trial, Montelukast reduced the use of (2 agonists and corticosteroids. Conclusions: the study showed no effects of montelukast on reducing the incidence of recurrent wheezing in children younger than 5 years old.

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