Benacort in outpatient therapy of bronchial asthma patients

Abstract

A cost-effectiveness analysis of supporting therapy was carried out in 30 various severity asthmatic patients against the background of use foreign anti-asthmatic drugs in 1997-1998 and the home inhaled glucocorticosteroid Benacort in 1999-2000. The patients at the exacerbation applied Benacort 800 meg daily and then the dose was reduced up to 4 0 0 -6 0 0 meg daily in mild and moderate asthmatic patients if the stable state was achieved, but not less than in 3 months.
The therapy efficiency was estimated by clinical symptoms dynamics, the daily need in β₂-agonists, a lung function dynamics before and in 1, 3 and 5 months of the treatment. The night asthmatic attacks disappeared in all the patients within 2 -3 weeks, the need in inhaled bronchodilators decreased sharply over a month, and a frequency of daytime asthma and cough attacks also decreased. Lung function parameters became normal in the mild asthma patients in 3 months and improved significantly in the moderate and severe asthma patients over 3 and 5 months accordingly, though the severe asthma patients did not reach the norm al lung function values. We did not reveal undesirable local effects of Benacort but we had to abolish the drug in one patient after 4 days o f the treatment because of severe cough. Generally, the out-patient application of Benacort as the basic therapy in various severity asthmatic patients was shown to control the disease course, to improve the quality of life and to reduce the yearly cost of supporting therapy for mild, moderate and severe bronchial asthma in 2.2, 1.48 and 1.71 times accordingly.