Individuals suffering from mild, persistent asthma and being administered with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids are likely to make lesser use of inhalers or find it easy to switch to a new pill.

It was remarked by Stephen P. Peters, M.D., Ph.D., lead author and a professor of pediatrics, internal medicine-pulmonary and associate director of the Center for Human Genomics, that this is good news for asthmatic patients because it offers them more choices in terms of asthma management.

From News-Medical.Net:

The study, involving 500 children and adults with mild asthma, was conducted by the American Lung Association’s Asthma Clinical Research Centers. Its goal was to determine if patients whose symptoms are well controlled on twice daily inhaled corticosteroid can “step down” their medication use. The results are reported in the May 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Asthma is considered mild, but persistent, when symptoms occur more than two times a week or cause the patient to awaken during the night more than twice a month. The standard treatment for mild-persistent asthma is twice-daily use of an inhaled steroid to prevent symptoms. Patients may also take additional drugs such as the inhaler albuterol, known as “rescue” therapy, to treat symptoms. A majority of people with asthma have mild disease, according to Peters.

The study involved patients whose asthma was treated with twice-daily inhaled fluticasone propionate (Flovent Discus), a commonly prescribed synthetic steroid. This drug is designed to suppress inflammation within the airways that can cause narrowing.

It was further remarked by Peters that asthmatic patients treated with twice a day inhaled corticosteroid doses and seeking other options must talk to their doctors before finalizing a decision.

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