Budesonide/Formoterol vs Salbutamol for Asthma Relief
Author Information
Author(s): R.E. Jonkers, T.A. Bantje, R. Aalbers
Primary Institution: Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hypothesis
Does budesonide/formoterol provide a similar or better onset of relief from dyspnoea compared to salbutamol in patients with asthma?
Conclusion
Both budesonide/formoterol and salbutamol provide rapid relief of dyspnoea and reversal of severe airway obstruction in asthma patients.
Supporting Evidence
- Borg score increased from below 0.5 to 3.03, 3.31, and 3.50 before treatment with budesonide/formoterol, salbutamol, and placebo, respectively.
- At 1 minute after inhalation, statistically significant decreases in Borg score were observed for both budesonide/formoterol and salbutamol compared to placebo.
- The median time to 50% recovery in Borg score was 3 minutes for budesonide/formoterol and 2 minutes for salbutamol.
Takeaway
This study shows that two asthma medications, budesonide/formoterol and salbutamol, can quickly help people breathe better when they have trouble due to asthma.
Methodology
A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study with 32 asthma patients undergoing methacholine provocation tests and receiving either budesonide/formoterol, salbutamol, or placebo.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the involvement of AstraZeneca in the study's funding and design.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and was limited to a specific age range (18-50 years).
Participant Demographics
{"total":32,"male":15,"female":17,"mean_age":33.5,"age_range":"18-50"}
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0233
Statistical Significance
p < 0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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