Termination of systemic corticosteroid therapy of a patient with bronchial asthma on biologic therapy with omalizumab

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Severe refractory asthma is defined as asthma in which the amount of medication required to achieve complete control is such as to cause the patient side effects, or as asthma in which control of the disease is not achieved despite maximum possible treatment.

Patients with severe refractory asthma thus very often require the administration of oral corticosteroids, which are key to achieving disease stabilization. However, long-term use of corticosteroid therapy can lead to serious side effects.

Where it is not possible to control asthma with inhaled corticosteroids and adjunctive therapy, biological therapy may be used as an option to prevent long-term systemic corticosteroid therapy. One of these biologic agents is omalizumab.

It is an anti-IgE antibody that can be used in patients with allergic IgE-mediated severe persistent asthma. Our outpatient clinic for severe asthma works closely with the endocrinology outpatient clinic of the Department of Internal Medicine of Bulovka Hospital.

The aim of our cooperation is the successful discontinuation of long-term corticosteroid therapy in patients with newly introduced biological treatment. We are able to minimize possible side effects of corticosteroid therapy, as well as side effects linked to corticosteroid withdrawal, such as adrenocortical insufficiency.