Cochrane says it is disappointed to find that there are no studies on the effects of stopping LABA in children whose asthma is well controlled on ICS/LABA.
The finding is particularly disappointing given the importance of the question, say the Airways Group who conducted the review.
The group trawled the literature looking for studies comparing a group of children who stopped taking their LABA with a group who continued taking ICS plus LABA.
“We were mainly interested in whether there is an effect on asthma control and side effects of stopping LABA.”
Studies had to be at least eight weeks’ long and include children whose asthma was well controlled on any dose of ICS plus LABA.
However they found no studies matching the criteria.
“It is disappointing that such an important issue has not been studied, and a randomised double-blind trial recruiting children who are controlled on ICS plus LABA is warranted,” they said.
The study should be large enough to assess children of different ages, and to measure the important safety and efficacy outcomes suggested in this review over at least six months, they added.