The Inhaled Steroid Treatment As Regular Therapy in Early Asthma (START) study 5-year follow-up: Effectiveness of early intervention with budesonide in mild persistent asthma

BACKGROUND: The Inhaled Steroid Treatment as Regular Therapy in Early Asthma (START) study enrolled 7241 patients aged 5 to 66 years with recent-onset, mild persistent asthma to assess early intervention with the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide on long-term asthma control. OBJECTIVE: The open-label phase of the START study was included to determine the effect on lung function and asthma control of adding budesonide to the reference group …