The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7216 p384
21 September 2002

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"Stepping down" asthma medicine

"Stepping down" asthma medication, as recommended in United Kingdom guidelines, is only safe if patients are closely monitored, researchers have concluded. They followed 1,339 patients from 77 Scottish general practices for a year — 334 were judged well enough to attempt a step-down of their medication. In their second year assessment, they found 36 per cent of patients had initiated a GP appointment, 14 per cent had suffered an exacerbation, 1.5 per cent (five patients) had presented at accident and emergency, and three of these had been admitted to hospital.