Treatment of asthma with triamcinolone acetonide aerosol

Thirty-five steroid-dependent asthmatic patients have been treated with an aerosol of triamcinolone acetonide for periods ranging from 8 to 26 months. Fourteen patients discontinued the oral use of steroids for the first time in from 2 to 19 years and throughout the period of treatment with aerosol, have not required any other steroid medication. Fifteen patients were able to discontinue oral use of steroids but have required one or more short supplemental courses of oral steroid treatment for exacerbations of asthma. Six patients have either continued to require oral steroid therapy, or their symptoms have been incompletely controlled by the aerosol. Steroid aerosols represent an important advance for the treatment of asthma. Small doses which do not suppress adrenal function and do not produce hyperadrenocorticism make it possible for most patients to eliminate or substantially reduce their requirement for oral steroid therapy.