Patient baseline characteristics
| Characteristics | Single inhaler therapy* | Separate Inhaler therapy* | Budesonide |
| Patents n | 123 | 115 | 124 |
| Mean age yrs (range) | 46.7 (18–78) | 44.7 (18–77) | 48.5 (21–78) |
| Male/Female | 65/58 | 58/57 | 62/62 |
| Asthma duration yrs | 19.1 | 16.9 | 17.1 |
| Smoking habits | |||
| Nonsmoker/current smoker/past | 72/11/40 | 69/13/33 | 79/7/38 |
| Smoker | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.2 |
| Mean pack-yrs | |||
| Inhaled corticosteroid use µg·day−1 | 971 | 973 | 936 |
| FEV1 % pred | 73.6 | 74.7 | 73.1 |
| Reversibility % | 21.5 | 22.2 | 23.8 |
FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second
FVC: forced vital capacity
*: both groups received equivalent doses of budesonide and formoterol via single or separate inhalers