Acth and cortisone in the treatment of asthma

Use of Corticotrophin Gel and Cortisone in Treatment of Severe and Intractable Asthma

“…Our estimate that some 40-50% of them might ideally need maintenance therapy is very closely paralleled by the findings of Baldwin et al (1955). Thirty of their original 60 patients required maintenance therapy.…”

“…In the same year as Hench et al (1949) reported the dramatic effect that cortisone produced in rheumatoid arthritis, Bordley et al (1949) reported the " unequivocal benefit within 4-48 hours" that five chronic asthmatics derived from injections of corticotrophin. Since 1949 there have been many reports from abroad (including Carey et al, 1950;Rose et al, 1951 ;Schwartz, 1951;Shulman et al, 1951;Baldwin and de Gara, 1952;Arbesman et al, 1952;Baldwin et al, 1955), and a few from this country (Ball, 1954;Savidge and Brockbank, 1954;Pearson, 1955), confirming the striking, though temporary, relief that can be obtained in the large majority of cases of otherwise intractable asthma with short courses of corticotrophin or cortisone. Gay and Murgatroyd (1954) reported favourably on their results with corticotrophin gel in 76 patients.…”

“…Baldwin et al (1955) reported satisfactory results in 87% of 60 asthmatic patients using corticotrophin gel and/or cortisone. Kania and Schmidt (1954) found that 76.6% of 111 patients were completely relieved.…”

“…Baldwin et al (1955), in very severe asthma, used 40 units every four hours for twenty-four hours (240 units), reducing the dose with improvement to six-hourly, then eight-hourly, and within the week the patients were well on 40 units twice daily; the dosage was then reduced to once a day. They found 40 units daily usually sufficient for the ambulatory intractable asthmatic.…”

“…Long-term continuous therapy with these hormones is also being reported, and indications are that continued relief can be obtained (Baldwin et al, 1955).…”