Targeting asthma control in real‑life clinical practice by using ICS/LABA combination

Abstract

Introduction: Regular treatment with a fixed combination of long‑acting β2-adrenoreceptor agonist (LABA) and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) led to asthma control in randomized controlled trials. Is it possible to reach similar results in a real‑life setting? Methods: During a 3-month multicenter prospective study, patients not meeting the criteria of total asthma control were treated for three months with a fixed combination of ICS/LABA guided by a physician. The patients were educated in proper inhaler technique and importance of adherence to treatment. Results: Four hundred and ninety‑four patients were included with a mean age of 39.0 (SD 16.2) years and disease duration of 6.3 years (SD 7.5). During the treatment phase, a significant reduction in patients with day‑time (from 93% to 23%, p < 0.001) and night‑time symptoms (from 81% to 10%, p < 0.001) was observed. The mean Asthma Control Test score gradually increased from 16.7 (SD 3.8) to 23.8 (SD 1.7) (p < 0.001). The proportion of uncontrolled asthma patients decreased from 76% at the baseline visit to 2% at the end of the study period (p < 0.001). The mean dose of ICS decreased from the baseline 721 (SD 289) μg to the final 672 (SD 317) μg (p = 0.041) daily. According to multivariate analysis (logistic regression), an age ≥ 40 years (OR = 0.552, p = 0.002) and smoking (OR = 0.527, p = 0.026) significantly decreased asthma control. Conclusion: In a real‑life scenario, regular treatment with ICS/LABA and improved adherence/inhaler handling resulted in a significant increase in asthma control in as little as three months.