Withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids versus continuation of triple therapy in patients with COPD in real life
In patients with COPD inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are indicated to prevent exacerbations, but they are frequently overprescribed, and withdrawal of ICS is recommended by international guidelines to prevent side effects in patients where ICS is not indicated.
Utilising real-world primary care data from the UK’s Optimum Patient Care Research Database (OPCRD) members of REG’s COPD Working Group have conducted a comparative effectiveness study to assess the effect of ICS withdrawal versus continuation on triple therapy in patients with COPD.
In the primary care population included in this study, composed mostly of infrequent exacerbators, cessation of ICS in patients on triple therapy was not associated with an increased risk of having an exacerbation. However, the subgroup of patients who experience more frequent exacerbations and have high blood eosinophil counts should not have ICS withdrawn.
The results of this study have been published in Respiratory Research -
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-021-01615-0
