title: Short courses of high-dose inhaled budesonide and serum IgG subclass levels in healthy volunteers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of systemic side effects of inhaled budesonide increases at doses exceeding 2000 micrograms/day.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was carried out to investigate whether high-dose inhaled budesonide affects serum IgG subclass concentrations in healthy adult volunteers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of 10 subjects each inhaled 2.4 mg of budesonide per day in a double-blind, crossover study of morning (8:00 AM and noon, group A) and diurnal (8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, group B) dosing schedules for 4 weeks each, separated by a 2-week washout period. The budesonide was inhaled through a pressurized metered-dose inhaler, mounted on a 750 ml Nebuhaler (ASTRA Pharmaceuticals, Lund, Sweden). The IgG subclass levels were determined at baseline and every 2 weeks until the end of the study period (10 weeks).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant changes in the serum IgG subclass concentrations over the 10-week study period in group A, group B, or groups A and B combined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inhalation of budesonide, 2.4 mg/day, through a large-volume spacer for repeated 1-month periods does not influence serum IgG subclass concentrations in healthy adults, suggesting that budesonide does not cause systemic humoral immunosuppression when given at therapeutic doses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Schoor
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Toogood
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Pauwels
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000287:Administration, Topical; D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D019819:Budesonide; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D011282:Pregnenediones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011282:Pregnenediones; D019819:Budesonide