ROLE OF INHALED CORTICOSTEROIDS VERSUS SYSTEMIC CORTICOSTEROIDS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA

Introduction: The aim of the current study was to analyze the comparison between the Inhaled Corticosteroids and Systemic Corticosteroids in the management of persistent  asthma Methods: In this study demographics analysis was conducted to examined the demographics characteristics of the participants. The descriptive analysis was conducted to examine the categorical variables. The difference between the lung functions test i.e., FEV1(Forced expiratory volume in the first second), FVC (Force vital capacity) and symptoms scores i.e., Asthma control test (ACT) between ICS(Inhaled corticosteroids) and SCS(systemic corticosteroid) groups was compared through t-test and chi-square test. While, multivariate analysis was used to examine the differences between the lung functions test i.e., FEV1, FVC and symptoms scores i.e., ACT between ICS and SCS groups when the potential cofounders were adjusted. Duration of asthma, severity, number of exacerbations in the past year, type of corticosteroid used (ICS or SCS), dosage, and duration of use, lung function tests (FEV1, FVC) and asthma control test (ACT) scores were analyzed through SPSS. Results: The study found that after controlling for age, gender, BMI, and asthma duration, ICS was linked with significantly greater FEV1 compared to SCS (β coefficient = 0.28, p-value < 0.01). After adjusting for other covariates, the β coefficient for corticosteroid type (ICS vs. SCS) was 0.24, demonstrating a significant connection between ICS and greater FVC compared to SCS (p-value < 0.05). The β coefficient for corticosteroid type between ICS and SCS was 1.5, with a p-value < 0.01, indicating that patients on ICS had significantly higher ACT scores, indicating better asthma control. Longer asthma duration was a significant negative predictor (β = -0.2, p = 0.046), predicting poorer ACT scores. After controlling for relevant confounders, the multivariate analysis showed that ICS is linked with improved lung function (FEV1 and FVC) and asthma control (ACT scores) than SCS. Conclusion: Exacerbations of persistent asthma are well treated with ICS. The best way to treat these individuals with ICS, how long they should take them for, and whether or not they should take systemic corticosteroids at the same time are all areas that need more investigation.