A recently published retrospective cohort study, supported by REG and Optimum Patient Care (OPC), has found no evidence that initiating either inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) in preschool children with a history of wheeze or asthma reduces wheezing or asthma attacks.
The study, conducted on behalf of the REG Child Health Working Group, examined UK medical record data of a diverse population of preschool children with at least two previous wheezing episodes. In these children, there were no statistically significant differences in the odds of wheezing/asthma attacks between matched cohorts receiving ICS compared with short-acting β-agonists (SABA) (odds ratio: 1.01 [95% confidence intervals: 0.85-1.19]) or between those receiving LRTA compared with SABA (odds ratio: 1.28 [95% confidence intervals: 0.96-1.72]).