Salmeterol and oral steroid treatment

Summary

Current international guidelines for asthma management recommend the introduction of supportive long acting bronchodilator therapy to be used in conjunction with maximal levels of inhaled corticosteroids, particularly before the introduction of long term oral corticosteroid therapy. A study in severe asthmatics, who were under consideration for the introduction of oral corticosteroid treatment, demonstrated that the addition of Salmeterol to maximal doses of inhaled corticosteroids significantly improved the overall level of asthma control so that in some patients the need to employ long term oral corticosteroid therapy was delayed or prevented.

Salmeterol introduced earlier in milder forms of asthma offers an additional option to increasing the level of inhaled corticosteroid therapy and further more symptom control can be maintained with lower levels of anti-inflammatory medication. The effectiveness of Salmeterol in influencing the level of corticosteroid requirement at different stages of the asthmatic process is a valuable therapeutic asset and promotes a more flexible approach to drug therapy with symptom control achieved with lower levels of anti-inflammatory agent.