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Audit, research and guideline update
Changes to inhaled corticosteroid dose when initiating combination inhaler therapy in long-acting β agonist-naïve patients with asthma: a retrospective database analysis
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  1. Jordan R Covvey1,
  2. Blair F Johnston1,
  3. Fraser Wood2,
  4. Anne C Boyter1
  1. 1Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
  2. 2Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr A C Boyter, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral St, Glasgow G4 0RE, UK; anne.boyter{at}strath.ac.uk

Abstract

Retrospective prescribing data were obtained from 46 general practice surgeries in NHS Scotland. Patients with asthma who were naïve to previous long-acting β agonist therapy and initiated combination inhaler therapy in 2008–2009 were classified according to the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose in their combination inhaler compared with the highest dose of ICS they received before initiation. Among the 685 patients (541 (79.0%) who had been prescribed an ICS previously), those originally on low-, medium- or high-dose ICS were changed to high-dose combination therapy in 122/250 (48.8%), 94/151 (62.3%) or 85/113 (75.2%) cases in each ICS dose category, respectively. These results suggest that evaluation of appropriate high-dose ICS prescribing in general practice is needed.

  • Asthma Epidemiology
  • Asthma in primary care
  • Asthma Guidelines

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