• H S Nelson, W W Busse, B P deBoisblanc, W E Berger, M J Noonan, D R Webb, J P Wolford, P S Mahajan, A G Hamedani, T Shah, and S M Harding.
• National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO 80206, USA.
• J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 1999 Feb 1;103(2 Pt 1):267-75.

BackgroundMany patients with severe asthma are dependent on oral corticosteroids for maintenance control of their disease. Treatments that allow patients to be weaned off oral corticosteroids may help to minimize the risk of side effects associated with their chronic use.ObjectiveThis study evaluated whether inhaled fluticasone propionate powder could maintain pulmonary function while reducing the dose of oral prednisone in patients with chronic, severe asthma.MethodsOral prednisone-dependent (5 to 40 mg/day) adolescents and adults with asthma (n = 111; mean FEV1 = 61% of predicted value) were randomized to placebo or twice daily fluticasone propionate 500 or 1000 microg administered by means of a multidose powder inhaler for 16 weeks in a double-blind, parallel-group study. Patients underwent controlled prednisone reduction on the basis of predetermined asthma stability criteria.ResultsOral prednisone was eliminated by 75% and 89% of patients in the twice daily 500 and 1000 microg fluticasone propionate groups, respectively, versus 9% of the placebo group (P <.001). FEV1, morning and evening peak expiratory flow, asthma symptoms, albuterol use, and nighttime awakenings improved with fluticasone propionate treatment, achieving statistical significance (P ConclusionFluticasone propionate powder (500 or 1000 microg twice daily) effectively improved lung function, adrenal function, and asthma-specific quality of life in patients with severe chronic asthma previously treated with oral prednisone while allowing most patients to be weaned off oral corticosteroid therapy.

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