Secondary end points over the 6 month study period
| Control | Buteyko | PCLE | p value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Values are median (IQR) unless stated otherwise. | ||||
| PCLE=Pink City Lung Exerciser; FEV1=forced expiratory volume in 1 second. | ||||
| *p value for difference between groups. | ||||
| †More detailed quality of life measurements are available online in table 4 at www.thoraxjnl.com/supplemental. | ||||
| Mean (SD) change in FEV1 (l) over 26 weeks | 0.001 (0.14) | 0.06 (0.26) | −0.002 (0.14) | 0.4 |
| Change in β2 agonist use (puffs/day) at 26 weeks | 0 (−2 to 0) | −2 (−4 to 0) | 0 (−2 to 0) | 0.005 |
| Number of exacerbations | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–1.75) | 1 (0–2) | 0.7 |
| Days taking increased dose of inhaled steroid | 0 (0–16) | 0 (0–11) | 1 (0–7) | 0.9 |
| Median (range) number of prednisolone courses per subject | 0 (0–l) | 0 (0–2) | 0 (0–1) | 0.4 |
| Change in overall asthma quality of life score† | 0.61 (−0.11 to 0.95) | 1.03 (0.19 to 1.69) | 0.57 (0.07 to 1.10) | 0.2 |
| Reduction in inhaled steroids (%) in steroid reduction phase | 0 (0–50) | 41.5 (0–100) | 25 (0–62.5) | 0.7 |