The effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids is greater in comparison to that of cromolyn when it comes to asthma management, as per a review of recent studies comparing the two treatments.

It was noted during the study that asthmatics treated with corticosteroids made lesser use of inhalers and showed positive signs of breathing than those treated with cromolyn.

From News-Medical.Net:

Adult asthma patients using inhaled steroids such as the brand names Beclovent, Pulmicort and Flovent had on average three fewer severe asthma flare-ups each year compared to patients using inhaled cromolyn, sold under the brand name Intal.

Patients taking the steroids also scored significantly higher on tests of lung function and used their “rescue” inhalers less often than those taking cromolyn, say James Guevara, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues.

The findings were similar for children, Guevara and colleagues add, saying that their review supports recent consensus in the medical community that favors inhaled corticosteroids as a first-choice treatment for asthma.

“To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review comparing the effects of cromolyn to the gold standard, inhaled steroids,” Guevara said.

William Storms, M.D., an allergist at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and director of the William Storms Allergy Clinic in Colorado Springs, said that there is still scope for cromolyn treatment as supported by NIH asthma guideline advocating for cromolyn and other drugs as alternative therapies.