Methotrexate in the Treatment of Steroid-Dependent Asthma

    August 1991 in “ ˆThe ‰journal of allergy and clinical immunology/Journal of allergy and clinical immunology/˜The œjournal of allergy and clinical immunology ”
    Philip D. Dyer, T R Vaughan, Richard W. Weber
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    TLDR Methotrexate reduced the need for steroids in asthma patients without worsening their condition.
    A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study involving 10 subjects with corticosteroid-requiring asthma found that low-dose methotrexate (MTX) significantly reduced the daily steroid requirement by 30% (from 11.97 mg/day to 8.37 mg/day of prednisone, p < 0.01) without altering clinical status. Symptom scores, peak flow rates, and spirometry remained unchanged between the MTX and placebo periods. Mild complications such as anorexia, alopecia, and stomatitis were observed but resolved with dose reduction or discontinuation of MTX. No subjects withdrew due to MTX complications.
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