Background: Use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are recommended in all grades of persistent asthma and once the symptoms are stabilized, stepping down" of steroids is recommended to minimize their unwanted effects with the addition of a second medication with a complimentary mechanism of action.
Aims & Objective: In our study a comparison of moderate dose ICS Fluticasone in stepping down strategy with combination of low dose Fluticasone with once-daily montelukast were assessed.
Materials and Methods: 50 patients with moderate persistent asthma were randomly assigned in study. Initially stabilized on fluticasone propionate (FP) 250 μg twice daily, for four weeks, there after patients were given the medication as per the protocol Group-I (n=25)- fluticasone 250μg BD; Group-II (n=25)- fluticasone125 μg BD + Montelukast 10 mg in night. Patients were then followed up for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy variables were changes in FEV1%, PEFR%, ACS (asthma control symptom) score and asthma quality of life (QOL) score.
Results: Changes in lung function at the end of study in Group-I and Group-II respectively as compared to 0 week (baseline) values, FEV1% value (p
Key words: Bronchial Asthma; Inhalational Corticosteroids; Stepping Down Strategy; Montelukast
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