News of combined therapy of moderate and severe asthma in children

Abstract

Efficiency of different regimens of long-term maintenance combined therapy with budesonide / formoterol (fixed doses in the 1st group and flexible doses in the 2nd group) was evaluated in 60 moderate or severe bronchial asthma children during 12 weeks. The 2nd group patients demonstrated more prominent improvement in all asthma symptoms. Frequency of asthma attacks decreased significantly in both the groups within the followup period (from 3.5 ± 0.18 to 1.27 ± 0.14 (p < 0.05) in the 1st group and from 2.5 ± 0.2 to 0.25 ± 0.09 (p < 0.01) in the 2nd group). Three months after starting the treatment, need in short-acting β 2 -agonists greatly decreased in the 2nd group (1.37 ± 0.19 vs 0.5 ± 0.09; p < 0.044). Lung function parameters (PEF, FEV 1 ) came to normal in both the groups. The total number of doses of budesonide / formoterol spent for 12 weeks differed between the groups: 168 ± 4.2 doses per 1 children, or 262.8 ± 8.3 μg of budesonide per 1 day per 1 children in the 1st group and 114 ± 3.9 doses per 1 children, or 185.6 ± 5.6 μg of budesonide per 1 day per 1 children in the 2nd group (p < 0.05). Therefore, the maintenance therapy with flexible-dose budesonide / formoterol was more effective that fixed-dose regimen in terms of reduction in exacerbation rate, need in short-acting β2 -agonists and the total amount of inhaled corticosteroids used.