Comparative effectiveness of long term drug treatment strategies to prevent asthma exacerbations: network meta-analysis

摘要

Which drug maintenance treatment is most effective at preventing asthma exacerbations in adults? Compared with low dose inhaled corticosteroids, combined inhaled corticosteroids and long acting (3 agonists, either as maintenance and reliever treatment or in a fixed daily dose, significantly reduced exacerbations of asthma. WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHATTHIS PAPER ADDS Adding long acting p agonists to asthma treatment is preferred to raising the dose of inhaled corticosteroids to prevent exacerbations, but several meta-analyses of other treatment strategies, such as leukotriene antagonists and single inhaler combination devices have been assessed.