The Lancet. Respiratory medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Beclometasone-formoterol as maintenance and reliever treatment in patients with asthma: a double-blind, randomised controlled trial.
According to international treatment guidelines, inhaled rapid-acting β2 agonists should be used for the control of symptoms in patients with asthma. We compared the efficacy and safety of an extrafine combination inhaler containing a corticosteroid (beclometasone) plus a rapid-onset, long-acting β2 agonist (formoterol) with a short-acting β2 agonist (salbutamol) as reliever strategies in patients taking beclometasone-formoterol combination as maintenance treatment. ⋯ Chiesi Farmaceutici.
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The 2011 GOLD (Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD]) consensus report uses symptoms, exacerbation history, and forced expiratory volume (FEV1)% to categorise patients according to disease severity and guide treatment. We aimed to assess both the influence of symptom instrument choice on patient category assignment and prospective exacerbation risk by category. ⋯ National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the COPD Foundation through contributions from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Sepracor.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and safety of maintenance and reliever combination budesonide-formoterol inhaler in patients with asthma at risk of severe exacerbations: a randomised controlled trial.
The Single combination budesonide-formoterol inhaler Maintenance And Reliever Therapy (SMART) regimen reduces severe asthma exacerbations in patients, but whether the high doses of corticosteroid and β agonist increase the risk of adverse effects with both short-term and cumulative exposure is not certain. Our aim was to investigate whether the SMART regimen would reduce the risk of overuse of β agonist, reduce the likelihood of patients to seek medical review when such episodes occurred, and if any reduction in severe asthma exacerbations would be at the cost of a higher burden of systemic corticosteroid. ⋯ Health Research Council of New Zealand.