"The current cohort was less likely to require chronic oral glucocorticoids, have better asthma control and have fewer glucocorticoid-induced adverse effects compared to a cohort of severe asthmatic children studied a decade ago," wrote the authors. When compared to children treated in the mid-'90s, children with severe asthma during 2004 to 2007 were less likely to need oral steroids and rescue inhalers, and their lung function scores were improved, according to a study from National Jewish Health in Denver. All of the children had severe asthma. Just over three quarters of the present-day group were on a leukotriene receptor antagonist, and two-thirds were on combination. New Treatments Improve Control for Severe Asthma -- Over just one decade, new asthma medications and tools have significantly improved the management of this serious airway disease. Results of the study were expected to be presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) annual meeting, in Washington, D.C.

To assess whether or not newer medications such as newer inhaled steroids, combinations of inhaled steroids and long-acting bronchodilators (Advair), and leukotriene receptor antagonists (Singulair) had made a positive impact on asthma treatment, the researchers compared a group of 65 children referred to the hospital between 2004 and 2007 to 164 children who were referred to National Jewish between 1993 and 1997.