Poor Steroid Adherence Ups Hospital Admission Risk

The biggest cause of asthma-related hospital admissions is nonadherence to inhaledsteroid medication regimens, according to the results of a study reported in the Journalof Allergy & Clinical Immunology (December 2004). The investigators examined themedical records of 405 patients with asthma and found that overall only 50% followedtheir medication regimen.

After analyzing the data, the researchers learned that patients who missed 1 out of4 doses of their inhaled steroid had twice the risk of going to the hospital. The evidencealso indicated that 60% of asthma-related hospitalizations could have been avoided ifthe patients had taken their inhaled steroids as prescribed. Furthermore, the number ofemergency room visits and the need for oral steroid medications were connected withpoor compliance with inhaled-steroid regimens.