Objective: Real-life studies are needed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of add-on tiotropium therapy in patients with asthma. The effects of adding tiotropium bromide to the treatment of asthmatic patients on pulmonary functions and asthma control using real-life data.
Methods: In a retrospective study, spirometric measures and asthma control states were compared before and one year after of tiotropium treatment in asthmatic adults whose disease was not adequately controlled with a combination of inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting β2-agonists.
Results: One year after tiotropium treatment, mean FEV1, FEV1%, and FEV1/FVC ratio increased significantly compared to pretreatment values. Among 32 patients added tiotropium due to symptomatic asthma, 28 (87.5%) patients achieved well-controlled (ACT ≥ 20) end of the year and GINA treatment step-down in 4 (12.5%) patients. Monoclonal antibody therapies (mepolizumab or omalizumab) were initiated in 9 patients (28.1%). FEV1 values and FEV1/FVC ratios showed a statistically significant improvement from baseline measurements obtained prior to the initiation of tiotropium therapy, independent of monoclonal antibody use (p < .001 for each). The mean age of these patients was 48.78 ± 11.64 (range: 28-81) years, and 25 (78.1%) of them were female.
Conclusions: Tiotropium bromide is an effective and reliable add-on therapy for symptomatic asthma when combined with ICS plus LABA, also leads to improvements in respiratory function and asthma control.
Keywords: Asthma; asthma control test; forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1); forced vital capacity (FVC); respiratory volumes; tiotropium.