continuing-benefits-possible-only-with-regular-asthma-medicationsChildren whose asthma improved while being administered with steroids for a continuing period of time need to continue the use else improvements may not be experienced after stopping use of steroids, as per results from a comprehensive childhood asthma study.

This study appeared in the Journal of Pediatrics and the researchers were able to find out that children now in their late teens and administered with steroids during the trial showed no differences in terms of asthma control with the children receiving placebo.

From Sciencedaily.com:

Inhaled corticosteroids such as budesonide have been shown to be the most effective form of anti-inflammatory treatment for asthma by controlling symptoms and improving pulmonary function. Results from the original CAMP trial showed that using budesonide twice daily led to fewer hospitalizations and urgent care visits, fewer days in which additional asthma medications were needed and a reduced need for albuterol, a fast-acting drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms. Using nedocromil twice daily reduced urgent care visits and courses of oral steroids for severe symptoms, but did not affect the number of hospitalizations, symptoms or airway responsiveness.

Although the patients had fewer symptoms five years after stopping the daily medication, Strunk cautions that doesn’t mean that they can stop using asthma medications altogether or that their asthma is cured.

It was remarked by Robert C. Strunk, M.D., a Washington University pediatrician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and lead author of the study that asthma management gets better for children as they grow older since the airways get bigger.