According to a review of studies comparing inhaled corticosteroids and cromolyn, it was noted that adults and children suffering from asthma and using inhaled corticosteroids fared better than those using cromolyn.

James Guevara, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues, said that patients on steroids had on average three fewer severe asthma flare-ups each year, scored better on lung function tests, and make lesser use of inhalers than their counterparts on cromolyn.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Any expert would agree that inhaled corticosteroids are preferred first-line therapy for treatment of persistent asthma, which requires daily therapy. But we also will agree with the NIH [National Institutes of Health] asthma guidelines, which state that cromolyn and other drugs are alternative therapies,” Storms said.

Cromolyn, or sodium cromoglycate, and inhaled corticosteroids both block the action of certain inflammatory cells in the lungs. Physicians recommend both types of medication for persistent asthma, but individual studies disagree about which type of medication works best, the reviewers found.

“The safety of sodium cromoglycate has been well established, but the effectiveness of sodium cromoglycate in controlling asthma symptoms may be limited,” Guevara said, adding that the lack of effective control might be one reason cromolyn has fallen out of favor compared to inhaled corticosteroids since the 1990s.

William Storms, M.D., an allergist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and director of the William Storms Allergy Clinic in Colorado Springs, said that the consensus still provides room for cromolyn treatment.

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