August 28, 2009

Adherence Drives Success of Asthma Therapy

By Kelley Luckstein

Oral controller medications led to better asthma outcomes compared with inhaled steroids because patients were more likely to take the drugs, an analysis of community-based treatment data showed.

 

When adherence was not an issue, inhaled corticosteroids reduced the risk of emergency department visits and hospitalization and were associated with lower treatment costs, Hiangkat Tan, of HealthCore in Wilmington, Del., and colleagues reported in the August issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

 

However, adherence to inhaled steroids was so poor that the medication had little impact on disease control.

"When adherence to inhaled corticosteroid therapy cannot be achieved, a leukotriene modifier may be a reasonable choice for monotherapy," the authors concluded.

 

MedPage Today by Charles Bankhead, 8/27/2009

Tags: Allergy, asthma, Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Please sign in or register to post a reply.
Contact Us · Privacy Policy