Bronchodilator responsiveness testing with inhaled budesonide/formoterol in asthma

Abstract

Background The choice of bronchodilators for responsiveness testing (BRT) is a clinical decision according to ATS/ERS. Since January 2019 we use budesonide/formoterol for BRT in asthma at our center in Argentina. The aim was to compare budesonide/formoterol with salbutamol for BRT in stable asthmatic patients that were followed up in a short-acting beta2 agonist (SABA)-free asthma center. Methods From the Hospital database, we found for the same patient at least one BRT using salbutamol 200 µg and another with budesonide/formoterol 320/9 µg. Results We found similar BRT between salbutamol and budesonide/formoterol in 101 asthmatic individuals (26 males) aged 38.14 ± 16.1 yrs (mean ± Standard deviation). The absolute response was 0.18 ± 0.21 L in FEV1 after salbutamol and 0.20 ± 0.22 L in FEV1 after budesonide/formoterol. Afterwards, we showed 202 patients tested with budesonide/formoterol; the mean absolute response was 0.21 ± 0.22 L in FEV1. There were no unexpected safety findings. Conclusions In asthmatic patients, we demonstrated similar efficacy between Budesonide/formoterol and salbutamol for BRT.