Changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 second over time in patients with controlled asthma at baseline

Summary Background A predominant feature of asthma is an accelerated rate of decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ), but data on the variability and factors associated with this change in patients with controlled asthma are largely unknown. Methods 140 patients with controlled asthma were enrolled based on the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. We examined the data of a prospective analysis of the association between asthma control and change in FEV1 over time. Results A 3-year follow-up assessment was completed in 128 patients. The mean rate of change in FEV1 was a decline of 22.2 mL yr−1 , with significant variation in the levels of change. The between patient standard deviation for the rate of decline was 34.1 mL yr−1 . We next classified the subjects of less than the 25th percentile as rapid decliners, and greater than the 25th percentile as non-rapid decliners. The decrease in the Asthma Control Test score over a 3-year period was higher for rapid decliners than that for non-rapid decliners ( p