[Three month treatment with budesonide in patients with corticoid dependent bronchial asthma--personal experience]

The experiment aimed at evaluating a three-month therapy of asthmatic patients with budesonide inhalations. The study involved 32 patients with long-lasting bronchial asthma depended on steroids. Therapy with budesonide (Pulmicort Astra) in a mean daily dose 1.6 mg enabled withdrawal of depot steroids and inhalation treatment only. In patients receiving prednisone in a mean daily dose 5.0 +/- 4.8 mg, budesonide therapy enabled a reduction of the oral dose by 50 percent. A significant improvement in the psychophysical status of patients has been noted despite a lack of significant differences in the results of lung functioning tests. Adverse reactions such as relaxation, insufficiency of the vocal cords at phonation and hoarseness were seen in 20 percent of patients, and in one of them required cessation of the drug. An increase in the number of Candida albicans colonies in throat swabs (over 20 colonies per plate) was seen in 7 treated patients but clinical symptoms which required an additional treatment were noted only in 1 patient.