Table 4.
Corticosteroid dosage in the two groups
| Mean (SD) dose of drug | Stepdown group | Control group | Difference (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral corticosteroid *. | (n=130) | (n=129) | N/A |
| Yearly (mg) | 117 (215) | 109 (275) | N/A |
| Inhaled corticosteroid †: | (n=120) | (n=123) | |
| Yearly (mg) | 390 (189) | 517 (231) | -127 (-180 to -74) |
| Monthly (mg) | 32 (16) | 42 (19) | -10 (-15 to -6) |
| Daily (μg) | 1067 (518) | 1415 (631) | -348 (-494 to -202) |
| Significance test is t test, P=<0.001. |
*
Median in both groups=0 mg. Significance test is Wilcoxon, P=0.252.
†
Conversion rate of 1 mg fluticasone propionate=2mg beclomethasone dipropionate used for calculation.