The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7218 p472
5 October 2002

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Thorax (thorax.bmjjournals.com)

Corticosteroids cut asthma admissions

Regular use of low-dose inhaled corticosteroids can prevent almost a third of asthma hospital admissions over the long term, according to Canadian researchers.

They studied a cohort of 30,569 asthmatic patients, 3,894 of whom were admitted to hospital for asthma, and 1,886 of whom were readmitted. Regular use of inhaled corticosteroids reduced the rate of hospital admission for asthma by 31 per cent, and the rate of readmission by 39 per cent. The researchers comment that effectiveness was sustained over the long term only in patients who used corticosteroids regularly. "This aspect of asthma management seems especially important in view of suggestions that compliance with inhaled corticosteroids appears to diminish over time," they add.

The researchers calculated that regular use of inhaled corticosteroids could prevent between five hospital admissions and 27 readmissions, per 1,000 asthma patients per year. They conclude that strategies such as targeting patients at greatest risk of exacerbations, patient education and reassurance could help ensure that the benefits seen in clinical trials are translated into benefits at a population level (Thorax 2002;57:880).