BMJ 1999;318:870 ( 27 March )

Letters

Control of house dust mite in managing asthma

    Effectiveness of measures depends on stage of asthma
    Peak expiratory flow rates in populations are not valid measure of asthma
    Conclusions of meta-analysis are wrong
    Power dressing is important in meta-analysis
    Authors' reply

Effectiveness of measures depends on stage of asthma

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---In their meta-analysis Gøtzsche et al concluded that measures to control house dust mites are not clinically effective in patients with asthma who are sensitive to mites.1 In the accompanying editorial Strachan commented that this was probably because several control measures used in the included studies did not result in a (relevant) reduction in concentrations of house dust mite allergens. Improvements in clinical condition are consequently not to be expected. Some studies in the meta-analysis found clinical effects while others did not.1 This may not be a result of effectively reducing allergen concentrations but of measuring different groups of asthmatic patients in different stages of disease. We believe that early treatment of mild asthma might have more impact than treating mild to moderate asthma.


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We investigated the (clinical) effects of a combined allergen avoidance strategy (use of covers on mattresses and bedding that are impenetrable to house dust . . . [Full text of this article]
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