Fifty-eight patients with chronic asthma in whom airflow obstruction was relieved by bronchodilator aerosols but not by oral corticosteroids were compared with 58 other chronic asthmatics who responded equally well to both treatments. The two groups were matched for age and sex. The only significant clinical differences between the two groups were that in the "corticosteroid-resistant" patients...

Sputum eosinophilia is a sensitive predictor of benefit from corticosteroid treatment. Montelukast is a cysteinyl leukotriene antagonist, which also reduces sputum and blood eosinophils. The present study examined the possibility that montelukast has an added eosinophil-lowering effect in subjects with asthma who are corticosteroid responsive but relatively corticosteroid resistant. A total of ...

Current guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis do not address the risks to bone density and the likelihood of fracture that may be associated with inhaled corticosteroid treatment for asthma. This review outlines an approach to the use of bone densitometry in clinical practice for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis in asthmatic patients receiving inhale...

BACKGROUND Inhaled corticosteroids are the most efficacious anti-inflammatory drugs in asthma. International guidelines also advocate the early introduction of inhaled corticosteroids in corticosteroid naive patients. A study was undertaken to assess the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on bronchial hyperresponsiveness in patients with corticosteroid naive asthma by conventional meta-analysis...

RATIONALE Negative affectivity is a measure of anxiety associated with increased reporting of symptoms. Few studies have explored this association with respect to drug-induced symptoms in patients taking medication for a chronic disease in real life. OBJECTIVES In this cross-sectional study we examined the relationship between negative affectivity and self-reported side effects of inhaled cor...

BACKGROUND Recent efficacy studies of asthma biologics have included highly enriched patient populations. Using a similar approach, we examined factors that predict response to omalizumab to facilitate selection of patients most likely to derive the greatest clinical benefit from therapy. METHODS Data from two phase III clinical trials of omalizumab in patients with allergic asthma were exami...

OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of a theory-based interactive voice response (IVR) intervention to improve adherence to controller medications among adults with asthma. METHODS Fifty participants aged 18 to 65 years who had a physician diagnosis of asthma and a prescription for a daily inhaled corticosteroid, attended a baseline visit and a final visit 10 weeks la...

OBJECTIVE To investigate differences in demographics, physician specialty, and medication use between patients who achieve high versus low ratios of controller to total asthma medications. STUDY DESIGN Cohort analysis. METHODS We used a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant claims database to identify patients aged 5 to 56 years with persistent asthma during a premea...

OBJECTIVE To present results of 2 studies assessing the impact of 3 commonly prescribed dual-controller regimens on the cost of treating asthma in several managed care populations. DATA SOURCES Two previously published cross-sectional and longitudinal retrospective studies of patients aged 12-65 years with asthma, in selected managed care plans, who were taking an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)...