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Seniors Undertreated for Asthma, and Many Skip Inhalers: Study

Posted 1 May 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 1 – Asthma often is misdiagnosed and undertreated in older people, with only 53 percent of those with asthma using prescribed inhalers, a small new study suggests. The study included 77 people, including people both with and without asthma, who were over age 60. Of those with asthma, 89 percent also had allergies to mold, animals or dust mites. The asthma patients were more likely than those without asthma to have hay fever, arthritis, diabetes, higher levels of pain and poor general health than those without asthma. The study appears in the May issue of the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. "Those with asthma reported more infections, physician visits and impact on health, yet only half are regularly treating the disease," lead author and allergist Dr. Andrew Smith said in a journal news release. "Patients should regularly carry and take prescribed asthma ... Read more

Some Schools Don't Let Kids Carry Asthma Inhalers

Posted 27 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, April 27 – Although all 50 states have laws that allow children with asthma to carry inhalers at school and 48 states have laws that let youngsters carry epinephrine pens for serious allergies, experts say that some kids are still being denied access to these lifesaving medications during the school day. "Every school district handles this a little bit different, and for those who don't allow children to carry their medications, I think may be due to a lack of knowledge. School officials may not appreciate the risk that having epinephrine pens and inhalers in a locked office, instead of with the child, can pose," said Maureen George, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in Philadelphia. "Fewer than 200 children die each year from asthma in the U.S. That number is low, but those deaths are preventable. And it's a double tragedy when you lose ... Read more

Rapid Asthma Treatment in ER May Prevent Admission

Posted 6 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, April 6 – Rapid treatment with asthma medications seems to help reduce hospitalizations among children with asthma, a new study finds. Canadian researchers analyzed data from 406 children and found that those with moderate or severe asthma attacks who received systemic corticosteroids within 75 minutes of arriving at a hospital emergency department were 16 percent less likely to be admitted to the hospital. Corticosteroids reduce inflammation. The findings illustrate the importance of rapidly identifying and treating children with asthma when they arrive at an emergency department, the researchers said. The study was recently published online in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. "We knew that corticosteroids could help avoid hospital admissions and relapses. However, just how delays between emergency department admission and administration of the treatment impacted ... Read more

High Out-of-Pocket Costs for Kids' Asthma Drugs Could Pose Dangers

Posted 27 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 27 – When health insurers require parents to pay a larger share of the cost of asthma medications for their children, more kids need emergency asthma treatment, suggests new research. For children older than 5, higher out-of-pocket costs results in a small reduction in medication use and greater rates of hospitalization for asthma complications, the study found. "Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children. We looked at adherence to asthma medications that are intended to be taken year-round to prevent exacerbations [flare-ups]," said one of the study's authors, Dr. Anupam Jena, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and a senior fellow at the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California. Jena said that adherence rates for these medications – the rate at which patients stick to ... Read more

Asthma Meds Likely Safe During Pregnancy: Study

Posted 20 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Jan. 20 – A new study found no statistically significant link between asthma medication use during pregnancy and common birth defects. However, the study did find a positive association between some rare birth defects and mothers with asthma, and potentially with their medication use. But, the researchers couldn't tease out whether the problem was a loss of oxygen from less than well-controlled asthma or an effect of medications. "Worsening asthma is a risk to the mom and the fetus. Hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) we know is a problem for a developing fetus. And, the potential risk they found here is very small. Even if it turns out to be a true increase, the risk is so small. This study raises more questions than it answers," said Dr. Natalie Meirowitz, chief of the division of maternal fetal medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. What's most ... Read more

Study Offers Clues to Why Some Don't Benefit From Asthma Drugs

Posted 6 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Jan. 6 – Almost half of patients with mild or moderate asthma may have a different type of disease than those with more severe symptoms, perhaps explaining why common treatments don't work well for them, new research suggests. "We are beginning to understand that different 'flavors' of asthma probably have different molecular mechanisms," said Dr. John Fahy, director of the Airway Clinical Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the senior author of the new study, published online Friday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Asthma is a chronic disease involving inflamed airways. As the airways become more swollen, the muscles around them can tighten when something triggers symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Current anti-inflammatory treatments target a condition called eosinophilic airway ... Read more

Drug for Acute Respiratory Distress May Do More Harm Than Good: Study

Posted 12 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

SUNDAY, Dec. 11 – A study assessing intravenous infusion of the drug salbutamol in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome was halted because the treatment did not improve patient outcomes and was associated with an increased risk of death, researchers say. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurs in about 14 percent of patients who require being placed on mechanical ventilation. The death rate among patients with ARDS is high – 40 to 60 percent – and survivors have a substantial decrease in their quality of life. However, "routine use of [beta-2] agonist therapy in mechanically ventilated patients with ARDS cannot be recommended," the researchers wrote in an article published in the Dec. 12 online edition of The Lancet. The British study included 326 patients who received either salbutamol (also known as albuterol) or a placebo within 72 hours of developing ARDS, ... Read more

Use of Asthma Controller Meds on the Rise Among U.S. Kids

Posted 13 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 13 – The percentage of children with asthma in the United States who use a prescription "controller" medicine has nearly doubled since the late 1990s, a new federal government report finds. The analysis of data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey showed that the use of controller drugs by these children increased from 29 percent in 1997-1998 to 58 percent in 2007-2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Asthma controller drugs include: corticosteroids, which control inflammation and reduce the risk of airway spasms; beta-2-agonists, which make breathing easier; and leukotrienes, which help prevent asthma symptoms from occurring. Use of inhaled corticosteroids among American children with asthma increased from 15.5 percent to 40 percent, use of leukotrienes rose from 3 percent to 34 percent, and use of ... Read more

Hospitalized Kids May Receive Up to 35 Meds a Week

Posted 6 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 6 – Some children, especially those with rare conditions, receive many different drugs while in the hospital, a new study finds. Acetaminophen, albuterol and antibiotics were the drugs most commonly given to hospitalized children, the researchers said. They also found an association between length of hospital stay and the number of drugs given to children. On the first day in children's hospitals, patients younger than 1 year at the 90th percentile of daily medication use received 11 drugs and those 1 year or older received 13 drugs. In general hospitals, patients younger than 1 year received 8 drugs and those 1 year or older received 12 drugs. By the seventh day of hospitalization in children's hospitals, patients younger than 1 year at the 90th percentile of total use of different medications had received 29 drugs and patients 1 year and older had received 35 drugs. In ... Read more

Excessive Heat Can Harm Medications, Expert Says

Posted 22 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Aug. 20 – Medications can be harmed by high temperatures, say pharmacists. Although just a handful of drugs have been tested at temperatures above 86F, all medications could be altered by extreme heat, they warn. According to Dr. Amy Peak, clinical pharmacist and director of Drug Information Services at Butler University, several medications have been tested at high temperatures. She outlined some of the changes the researchers found: Albuterol inhalers: The container could burst at temperatures above 120F. Moreover, when stored at high temperatures, there may be a decrease in the amount of medication inhaled. Concentrated epinephrine: Cyclical heating could reduce 64 percent of the medication's potency. Diazepam: Concentration of this drug dropped 25 percent when stored at 98.6F. Formoterol (capsules that are placed in inhalers): Following four hours of exposure to 158F ... Read more

New Guidelines for Spotting, Treating COPD Released

Posted 1 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Aug. 1 – Four of the world's leading pulmonary associations have issued new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the world's leading killers. While the recommendations are based on more recent studies of the disorder, they differ little from previous guidelines and are meant largely to emphasize how critical it is to manage the disease to reduce hospitalizations, exacerbations and deaths, said lead author Dr. Amir Qaseem, director of clinical policy in the medical education division of the American College of Physicians, one of the four sponsoring organizations. "We're repeating the message. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the third leading cause of death and . . . the number keeps going up. In 2007, it was the fifth leading cause of death," said Qaseem. "Many patients are still not getting the appropriate care." ... Read more

Common Asthma Drug Could Speed MS Treatment

Posted 13 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Sept. 13 – A common asthma drug might accelerate the benefits of treatment for multiple sclerosis when combined with standard medicine, new research suggests. The authors of this small and preliminary study showed that albuterol, prescribed for a variety of respiratory illnesses, enhances the effects of glatiramer acetate, a drug already prescribed for MS patients. Because albuterol is known to reduce a substance in the body connected to the onset of MS, doctors at Harvard looked at using the drug as an add-on treatment. Study author Dr. Samia J. Khoury said the study was designed to see if the drug helped reduce symptoms of the inflammatory disease. "Albuterol causes the [immune system] cells to change the type of interleukin they produce to one that is beneficial in MS," said Khoury, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in ... Read more

New Treatments Improve Control for Severe Asthma

Posted 16 Mar 2009 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 16 – Over just one decade, new asthma medications and tools have significantly improved the management of this serious airway disease. When compared to children treated in the mid-'90s, children with severe asthma during 2004 to 2007 were less likely to need oral steroids and rescue inhalers, and their lung function scores were improved, according to a study from National Jewish Health in Denver. "The current cohort was less likely to require chronic oral glucocorticoids, have better asthma control and have fewer glucocorticoid-induced adverse effects compared to a cohort of severe asthmatic children studied a decade ago," wrote the authors. Results of the study were expected to be presented Saturday at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) annual meeting, in Washington, D.C. To assess whether or not newer medications such as newer inhaled steroids, ... Read more

Asthma 'Rescue' Inhalers Are Changing

Posted 10 Nov 2008 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 10 – Change is coming to the lifesaving asthma medications known as "rescue" inhalers. And, if you're one of the estimated 40 million people with a respiratory disorder who uses these inhalers, you need to know that after Dec. 31, you won't be able to buy an inhaler that uses chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants anymore. Plus, you need to be aware that the new inhalers are different in some important ways: They won't feel the same when you use them, they have different cleaning requirements, and they may cost you more. "The main reason for this change is that the new inhalers don't create an ozone loss," explained Dr. Ira Finegold, chief of the division of allergy and clinical immunology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City. Chlorofluorocarbon propellants have been linked to destruction of the Earth's ozone layer. Finegold was scheduled to moderate a weekend ... Read more

Related support groups: Asthma, Combivent, Asthma -- Acute, Xopenex, AccuNeb

FDA Medwatch Alert: Albuterol Sulfate Solution for Inhalation

Posted 19 Apr 2002 by Drugs.com

FDA issued a Public Health Advisory notifying the medical community of two recent hospital outbreaks of lower respiratory tract colonization and infection with Burkholderia cepacia attributed to contaminated multi-dose bottles of albuterol sulfate. In most cases, colonization or infection occurred in the ICU setting, often in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. The advisory reminds healthcare professionals of measures that may be important in reducing the risk of contamination and subsequent outbreaks of infections. (The link below opens a new browser window with the advisory notice.)[April 19, 2002 Public Health Advisory - FDA] Read more

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Maintenance, Asthma -- Maintenance, Bronchospasm Prophylaxis, Asthma -- Acute, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Acute