The study retrospectively analyzed the risk of pneumonia in asthmatic patients using inhaled corticosteroids in an initial trial that included all double-blind and placebo-controlled trials over a period of R3 months. In the initial trial, the probability of pneumonia was 0.5% in the budesonide group compared with 1.2% in the placebo group, and the incidence of severe pneumonia was 0.15% in the budesonide group compared with 0.13% in the placebo group. In the second trial, 0.70 percent of patients developed pneumonia and 0.17 percent developed severe pneumonia. High-dose inhaled glucocorticoids did not increase the risk of pneumonia, and there was no significant difference between budesonide and fluticasone propionate. Inhaled glucocorticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment for bronchial asthma and may improve quality of life and prolong survival. The results of this meta-analysis may enable asthma patients to feel comfortable with inhaled corticosteroids. The authors compared 10,000 patients in the experimental group who inhaled glucocorticoids with those who inhaled placebo and did not find an increased risk of pneumonia in patients who inhaled glucocorticoids; in fact, the risk decreased from 1.2 percent to 0.5 percent per year. The findings apply to patients with asthma and not to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. RESULTS: Inhaled corticosteroids do not increase the risk of pneumonia in patients with asthma.