Steroids slow decline in lung function

Inhaled steroids not only control symptoms, they also appear to change the natural course of asthma over time. Researchers from the Hvidavre University Hospital, Denmark, conducted a long-term study of 234 asthmatic patients, between 52 and 59 years of age. Patients were divided into two groups: 44 patients on maintenance therapy with inhaled steroids and 190 patients who were not. The researchers measured forced expiratory volume in one second, an indicator of lung capacity annually over a 10-year period. They report that decline in FEV1 was 25 ml/year in those on inhaled steroids and 51 ml/year in asthmatics not on inhaled steroid therapy. Age, socioeconomic status, body mass index, mucus hypersecretion and use of other asthma medications did not affect changes in lung function in either group. Researchers from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal caution that it behooves to characterise patients better in order to maximize the benefit of treatment in individual patients. The prognosis of asthma is highly variable, with many patients having consistently mild disease. The researchers conclude inhaled steroids as the mainstay of treatment. Maximum benefit requires regular treatment rather than occasional use in symptom control in asthma exacerbations.