Although recent guidelines focus on asthma control, a significant number of patients remains poorly controlled.
To evaluate the longitudinal effects of corticosteroids on lung function, inflammation and asthma control.
22 asthmatic children and adolescents (10.5 ± 2.55 years) participated of three visits (2 months a part). On each visit spirometry, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), level of asthma control (Asthma control test-ACT), and asthma severity were assessed. The beclomethasone (Clenil® 250 μg/jato-Laboratory Chiesi-Brazil), at a dose of 1 jet 12/12 h, started on the first visit.
One patient was classified as having controlled asthma, 10 partially controlled asthma (PCA), and 11 uncontrolled asthma (UC). On the third visit, 14 patients were classified as PCA and 7 UC. The FEV1/FVC (%) significantly increased from baseline to the third visit (p = 0.0098). The number of asthma patients with low levels of FeNO increased from 9 to 16 patients and the number of asthma patients with intermediate levels of FeNO reduced from 7 to 2 patients, considering the first and third visits. Dispersion of FeNO levels were widely in the study sample. As expected, the FeNO correlated inversely with FEV1/FVC (%) in all evaluations. The baseline ACT score was positively correlated with baseline FEV1 % (r = 0.4480, p = 0.0417). FeNO levels, FEV1 (%), FEV1/CVF (%), and ACT scores did not differ between atopic and non-atopic subgroups in 3 time points.
Treatment with corticosteroids improved the classification of the asthma control level. Despite the great dispersion of the FeNO levels, this biomarker correlated inversely with Tiffeneau index in the three evaluations.