Long term treatment of steroid dependent asthmatic patients with beclomethasone dipropionate

In the efforts to avoid the side-effects of the peroral cortisone drugs in the treatment of asthma, trials have been made since the early fifties with the administration of steroids in aerosol form applied direct on the bronchial mucosa. Hydrocortisone as well as prednisolone and dexamethasone have been used with a documented effect on the obstruction. However, the drugs were found to be resorbed and thus resulted in suppression of adrenal function and appearance of Cushing syndrome and other well-known steroid side-effects (12). More recently, beclomethasone dipropionate -- a steroid with potent topical activity -- has been used as a pressurised aerosol. In 1972 Morrow Brown et al. (1) as well as Lal et al. (10) reported a good therapeutic effect with this drug and at the same time found evidence for the opinion that its systemic effect, if any, was insignificant. Less ositive results were reported by Choo-Kang et al. (4) and also by Herxheimer (8), who considered beclomethasone spray not to possess any advantages as compared with the earlier steroids. The purpose of the present study was to assess the clinical value of beclomethasone in the treatment of adult patients previously on long-term oral steroids.