title: Nifedipine in corticosteroid-dependent asthma: preliminary study.
abstract: 1. To test whether nifedipine reduces corticosteroid requirements of patients with asthma, a 16-week double-blind crossover trial comparing nifedipine with placebo was performed. 2. Eight females and seven males with corticosteroid-dependent asthma were studied, ranging in age between 20 and 65 years (mean = 45 years). 3. Results showed that in 12 of 15 patients, nifedipine caused significant reduction in corticosteroid requirements when compared with placebo (P less than 0.01). No side-effects were reported apart from mild headache and leg oedema observed in a few patients receiving nifedipine. 4. It could be concluded that nifedipine has a steroid-sparing effect in steroid-dependent asthma.
authors.affiliation: Private Clinic, Baghdad, Iraq.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: al-Waili
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D011239:Prednisolone; D009543:Nifedipine