Baigelman et al.(30)
|
Design: observational |
Drug: prednisone |
Sputum eosinophils, mean ± SD: 26.0 ± 19.0% vs. 8.0 ± 5.0% |
Sample: 11 asthma patients (3 males and 8 females; 29-60
years of age) followed for at least 4 years |
Dose: 80 mg/day |
Sputum ECP: [not measured] |
post-bronchodilator FEV1, mean ± SD: 1.03 ± 0.41 L vs. 1.32
± 0.51 L |
Profile: asthma exacerbation |
Duration: 3 days |
IL-5: [not measured] |
Claman et al.(31)
|
Design: randomized controlled trial |
|
|
Sample: 24 asthma patients—oral prednisone group (n = 12, 7
males and 5 females) and placebo group (n = 12, 6 males and 6
females)—excluding patients having used inhaled or oral corticosteroids
in the last 6 weeks, having had an upper respiratory infection in the
last 6 weeks, and having a smoking history of > 10 pack-years |
Drug: oral prednisone |
Sputum eosinophils, mean ± SE: 14.1 ± 5.0% vs. 1.8 ± 0.8% |
Dose: 0.5 mg/kg per day |
Sputum ECP, mean ± SE: 325 ± 131 µg/mL vs. 144 ± 84 µg/mL |
Profile: asthma exacerbation |
Duration: 6 days |
post-bronchodilator FEV1, mean ± SD: 88 ± 5.2% vs. 91 ±
4.87% |
IL-5: [not measured] |
Keatings et al.(34)
|
Design: single-blind crossover study |
Drug: prednisolone |
Sputum eosinophils, mean ± SD: 6.66 ± 0.98% vs. 0.99 ± 0.25% |
Sputum ECP, mean ± SD: 687.0 ± 87.0 µg/L vs. 80.2 ± 14.2 µg/L |
Sample: 15 COPD patients (excluded from this meta-analysis)
and 11 patients with mild atopic asthma (1 excluded; 10 included for
analysis; mean age 29.8 ± 3.4 years) |
Dose: 30 mg/day |
|
Duration: 2 weeks |
post-bronchodilator FEV1: |
Profile: stable asthma |
-in %, mean ± SD: 95.9 ± 5.7% vs. [not described] |
-in L, mean ± SE: [not described] vs. 3.92 ± 0.32 L |
IL-5: [not measured] |
Pizzichini et al.(8)
|
Design: observational |
Drug: prednisone |
Sputum eosinophils, mean ± SD: 17.6 ± 10.0% vs. 0.89 ± 0.90% |
Sample: 10 asthma patients |
Dose: 30 mg/day for 5 days, tapered to zero by day 10 |
Sputum ECP, mean ± SD: 5,338.4 ± 6690.7 µg/L vs. 985.5 ± 1311.0 µg/L
|
Profile: asthma exacerbation |
Duration: 10 days |
post-bronchodilator FEV1, mean ± SD: 1.5 ± 0.3 L vs. 2.5 ±
0.5 L |
IL-5, mean ± SD: 201 ± 128 pg/mL vs. 0.0 ± 55.6 pg/mL |
Pizzichini et al.(10)
|
Design: observational |
Drug: prednisone |
Sputum eosinophils, mean ± SD: 16.3 ± 32.3% vs. 0.0 ± 0.5% |
Sample: 8 patients with prednisone-dependent asthma; >12%
variability in FEV1, baseline mean, 18.5% (range, 13-27%) |
Dose: 30 mg/day |
Sputum ECP, mean ± SD: 7480 ± 5240 µg/L vs. 700 ± 784 µg/L |
Profile: severe asthma |
Duration: 7 days |
post-bronchodilator FEV1, mean ± SD: 55.7 ± 6.84% vs. 80.0 ±
15.91% |
IL-5, mean ± SD: 66.5 ± 150 pg/mL vs. 44.1 ± 86 pg/mL |
Di Franco et al.(32)
|
Design: randomized controlled trial |
Drug: prednisone |
Sputum eosinophils: 52.0% [no SD or SE] vs. 11.0% [no SD or SE] |
Sample: 40 adult nonsmokers (9 males and 31 females; mean age, 45 ± 13
years; 3 excluded), in two arms—fluticasone (1,000 µg/day; n = 18) and
prednisone (n = 19) |
Dose: 40 mg/day, tapered to 10 mg/day by reducing the dose by 5 mg
every other day |
Sputum ECP: 904 µg/L [no SD or SE] vs. [not described] |
Profile: asthma exacerbation |
Duration: 6 days |
post-bronchodilator FEV1, mean ± SD: 51.5 ± 14.4% vs. 83.6 ±
21.1% |
IL-5: [not measured] |
Scheicher et al.(33)
|
Design: controlled observational |
Drug: oral prednisone |
- |
Sample: 51 subjects—21 normal subjects and 30 patients with asthma (13
males and 17 females; mean age, 41 years), 9 of whom were
steroid-naïve—the 9 steroid-naïve patients receiving oral prednisone and
being evaluated before and after the treatment |
Dose: 40 mg/day |
Profile: stable asthma |
Duration: 14 days |
Dente et al.(29)
|
Design: randomized controlled trial |
Drug: oral prednisone |
- |
Sample: 59 patients with severe refractory asthma, randomized to
receive prednisone (n = 39) or placebo (n = 20) |
Dose: 0.5 mg/kg per day |
Profile: severe asthma |
Duration: 2 weeks |