The first inhaled corticosteroid, beclomethasone dipropionate, was introduced in 1973. Although it is known that corticosteroids act by inhibition of inflammatory processes, asthma research did not focus on this aspect of the disease until the early 1980s.

In Sweden, inhaled corticosteroids were first used to treat children with moderate to severe asthma in the mid 1980s. These drugs are the most potent anti-inflammatory agents available to treat asthma and several current international guidelines recommend them as first line treatment for childhood asthma. …