A step-down experience in asthma treatment: a retrospective cohort study

According to recent guidelines; patients with controlled asthma who are stable for at least three months and don't have risk factor should be considered for step down.

To evaluate our step down attempts and affecting factors.

This study was a retrospective-cohort study of patients with asthma who were followed up in our clinic for at least one year. Sociodemographic, phenotypic, clinical features and number of step-down attempts were recorded from the files. Step down was tried in well controlled patients and considered as successful whether descending step was maintained or a lower step was reached until the last visit.

A total of 239 patients (196 F/43 M) with a mean age of 51.54 ± 15.29 years were included in the study. Step-down attempt was performed in 44.8% (n = 107) of the patients and % 74.8 (n = 80) of them were successful. Factors related to failure were lower level of education, allergic comorbidity (p = 0.04) and female gender (p = 0.04). Risk of failure was 3.45 and 1.84 times higher than university graduates in high school and primary school graduates, respectively. The probability of failure in step down was 3.38 times higher in patients with allergic comorbidity, and it was 3.92 times more likely in women than men.

Our results showed that the step down attempt could be performed in patients receiving treatment from all steps. In addition, treatment of allergic comorbidities and increased level of education, may make a step down attempt more successful.