- The name of the article: Intermittent inhaled corticosteroid therapy versus placebo for persistent asthma in children and adults
- The journal it was published in and the year it was published: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 7
- Authors: Chong J, et al.
- Citation: Chong J, Haran C, Chauhan BF, Asher I. Intermittent inhaled corticosteroid therapy versus placebo for persistent asthma in children and adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD011032. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011032.pub2. Accessed 15 May 2023.
- This article is a systematic review which included six trials (representing 490 preschool children, 145 school-aged children and 240 adults) met the inclusion criteria. Study durations were 12 to 52 weeks. They were trying to assess whether intermittent ICS has more benefit than a placebo since that is how many patients take their ICS inhalers despite it being prescribed as a daily maintenance therapy. They assessed 875 individuals in total.
- Outcomes were as follows: the studies showed that intermittent ICS reduced the necessity for oral corticosteroids and improved symptoms. It did not change the hospitalization rates or perceived quality of life of patients.
- The children’s group was assessed separately since their asthma is of a different nature than in adults.
- Adverse events were not more frequent in the ICS group compared to the placebo group.
- Limitations: the authors determined that the study did not contain enough participants to provide good quality evidence to the mentioned outcomes.
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