Long-Term Inhaled Corticosteroids in Preschool Children at High Risk for Asthma

It is unknown whether inhaled corticosteroids can modify the subsequent development of asthma in preschool children at high risk for asthma.

We randomly assigned 285 participants two or three years of age with a positive asthma predictive index to treatment with fluticasone propionate (at a dose of 88 mug twice daily) or masked placebo for two years, followed by a one-year period without study medication. The primary outcome was the proportion of episode-free days during the observation year.