Methotrexate for Asthma
Authors: Ran D. Anbar, Susan Hoch
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1991)

Letters1 July 1991Methotrexate for AsthmaRan D. Anbar, MD, Susan Hoch, MDRan D. Anbar, MDSearch for more papers by this author, Susan Hoch, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-115-1-66 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the Editors:We are concerned that Erzurum and colleagues (1) drew the conclusion that methotrexate is not beneficial in severe asthma without recognizing the implications of their small sample size. We suggest that the 18-patient sample size was inadequate to show a significant benefit of methotrexate on asthma control. Using the sample size analysis of Young and colleagues (2) with significance levels of α = 0.05 and β = 0.2, this study would have required a sample size of approximately 100 patients in order to detect a 50% difference in steroid dose between the two groups. Thus, it is...References1. Erzurum S, Leff J, and Cochran J. Lack of benefit of methotrexate in severe, steroid-dependent asthma. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Ann Intern Med. 1991;114:353-60. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Young M, Bresnitz E, and Strom B. Sample size nomograms for interpreting negative clinical studies. Ann Intern Med. 1983, 99:248-51. LinkGoogle Scholar1. Erzurum S, Leff J, and Cochran J. Lack of benefit of methotrexate in severe, steroid-dependent asthma. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Ann Intern Med. 1991;114:353-60. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Mullarkey M, Webb D, and Pardee N. Methotrexate in the treatment of steroid-dependent asthma. Ann Allergy. 1986;56:347-50. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillstone, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988:19-74. Google Scholar1. Erzurum S, Leff J, and Cochran J. Lack of benefit of methotrexate in severe, steroid-dependent asthma. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Ann Intern Med. 1991;114:353-60. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Mullarkey M, Blumenstein B, Andrade W, Bailey G, Olason I, and Wetzel C. Methotrexate in the treatment of corticosteroid-dependent asthma: a double-blind crossover study. N Engl J Med. 1988;318:603-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Dyer P, Vaughan T, and Weber R. Methotrexate in the treatment of steroid-dependent asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1991;[In press]. CrossrefGoogle Scholar1. Dykewicz M, Greenberger P, Patterson R, and Halwig J. Natural history of asthma in patients requiring long-term systemic corticosteroids. Arch Intern Med. 1986;146:2369-72. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Shiner R, Nunn A, Chung K, and Geddes D. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of methotrexate in steroid-dependent asthma. Lancet. 1990;336:137-40. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Jones G, Mierins E, and Karsh J. Methotrexate-induced asthma. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991;143:179-81. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Ran D. Anbar, MD; Susan Hoch, MDAffiliations: Hahnemann University Philadelphia, PA 19102-1192 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 July 1991Volume 115, Issue 1Page: 66-67KeywordsAsthmaMethotrexate ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 July 1991 PDF downloadLoading ...