title: Long-term follow-up of patients with a history of near fatal episodes; can inhaled corticosteroids reduce the risk of death from asthma?
abstract: We retrospectively studied the use of inhaled corticosteroids in patients who experienced near fatal episodes (NFE) to determine whether such therapy reduces the risk of death. Forty-eight patients who had near fatal episodes of asthma between January 1981 and December 1989 were divided into two groups. Group A comprised 19 patients who received beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) daily (mean dose of BDP:687 micrograms/day: 200-2,000) following NFE, and Group B, 28 patients who did not take BDP or who took less than 6 mg BDP/month. During the follow-up period (Group A:82.9 months, Group B:66.2 months), no patients in Group A died, but eight deaths occurred in Group B (mean period between near fatal episode and death was 31.5 months: 12-66). These results suggest that the regular use of inhaled corticosteroids, even at low doses, may reduce the risk of death in patients who experience NFE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Diseases, Kobe City General Hospital.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katakami
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakai
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D001507:Beclomethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001507:Beclomethasone