Beclomethasone dipropionate aerosol in the treatment of steroid-dependent chronic bronchial asthma in adults.
15 adult chronic asthmatic patients who were on daily maintenance dose of oral steroid for at least 6 months were studied. Following an investigation period of 2 weeks, the patients were started on BDA, 100 microgram four times daily. The daily oral steroid dose, which averaged 12 mg of prednisone or its equivalent, was gradually reduced by about 1 mg per day. The trial lasted 8 weeks, at the end of which, ten patients were as good or better on BDA than on oral steroids. Two patients had to return to oral corticosteroid therapy before the trial ended and three patients were unable to discontinue their oral steroid treatment. The lack of systemic effects of BDA was demonstrated by the appearance of symptoms which were apparently previously suppressed by the oral steroids and the excretion of normal amounts of 17-OHCS in the urine in some to the patients who had evidence of adrenal suppression while on oral steroids.
D015068:17-Ketosteroids / Q000652:urine; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000336:Aerosols; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001507:Beclomethasone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
D015068:17-Ketosteroids; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000336:Aerosols; D001507:Beclomethasone