ABSTRACT
It remains controversial whether tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antagonism is effective for asthma.This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate efficacy of TNF-α antagonism in treatment of patients with asthma.MEDLINE,EMBASE,LILACS,and CINAHL databases were searched for English-language studies published through January 3,2010.Randomized-controlled trials comparing TNF-α antagonism with control therapy were selected.For each report,data were extracted in relation to the outcomes analyzed:asthma exacerbation,asthma quality of life questionnaire scores,and forced expiratory volume in 1 second.Four assessable trials were identified including 641 patients with asthma.TNF-α antagonism therapy was superior to control therapy in preventing exacerbations in asthmatics [pooled odds ratio 0.52 (95％ confidence interval 0.29-0.88),P=0.02]; however,there was a nonsignificant reduction in asthma quality of life questionnaire scores [0.23 (0 to 0.47),P=0.05],forced expiratory volume in 1 second [0.03,(-0.14 to 0.10),P=0.74] when analyzed using standardized mean differences.TNF-α antagonism was superior to control chemotherapy in terms of asthma exacerbation,but not asthma quality of life questionnaire scores or forced expiratory volume in 1 second.