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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

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

More Children Using Preventive Asthma Drugs: Study

Posted 5 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Dec. 5 – About one in three children with asthma is currently using a preventive medication, according to new research. That number is up from about 18 percent of kids during the late 1980s. Preventive asthma medications help control the airway disease before symptoms flare up, and guidelines from the U.S. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recommend their use. "The main finding from our study was that over 20 years, the use of medicines to prevent asthma has increased among children with asthma," said the study's lead author, Dr. Brian Kit, a medical epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Commenting on the study, Dr. Shean Aujla, a pediatric pulmonologist at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, said, "I think it's encouraging that there's been an increase in the use of preventive ... Read more

Some Asthma Drugs Raise Risk of Complications, Especially in Kids: Study

Posted 25 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 25 – When used alone, the asthma medications known as long-acting beta-agonists are associated with an increased risk of serious complications, new research indicates. What's more, the increased risk of complications, including hospitalization, intubation and death (called the asthma composite outcome), associated with the use of these medications was even higher in children than in adults. However, when long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) are used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids, the increased risk appears to dissipate. Products that only contain a LABA are marketed under the brand names Foradil and Serevent in the United States, while they are sold under the brand names Symbicort and Advair when combined with inhaled corticosteroids. "What we found overall was that there was a greater risk of the asthma composite outcome in the group that took LABAs as opposed ... Read more

Related support groups: Asthma, Salmeterol, Formoterol, Perforomist, Foradil Aerolizer, Serevent Diskus

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

New Approach to Treating Asthma in Pregnancy

Posted 9 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 9 – Researchers in Australia have developed a new treatment plan to reduce asthma flare-ups in pregnancy while minimizing drug exposure to developing fetuses. This therapy tracks airway inflammation directly by measuring something known as "the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide" – a marker of inflammation abbreviated as FENO – in an exhaled breath. By doing so, researchers can identify asthma in pregnant women who have airway inflammation but no symptoms and tailor drug therapy accordingly. In this study, researchers examined 220 non-smoking women with asthma who were less than 22 weeks pregnant. Half the women were treated based on their clinical symptoms during monthly visits (the control group) and compared to the women in the FENO group, who were tested for airway inflammation. The researchers found the flare-up rate among the women in the FENO group was roughly half ... 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

FDA Medwatch Alert: Long-Acting Beta-Agonists (LABAs): New Safe Use Requirements

Posted 17 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com

[UPDATED 04-15-2011] To further evaluate the safety of Long-Acting Beta-Agonists (LABAs) when used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of asthma, the FDA is requiring the manufacturers of LABAs to conduct five randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials comparing the addition of LABAs to inhaled corticosteroids versus inhaled corticosteroids alone. The clinical trials will begin in 2011 and FDA expects to receive results in 2017. [UPDATED 06/03/2010] Drug labels now contain updated recommendations. [Posted 02/18/2010] FDA notified healthcare professionals and consumers that, due to safety concerns, FDA is requiring a risk management strategy (REMS) and class-labeling changes for all LABAs. The REMS will require a revised Medication Guide written specifically for patients, and a plan to educate healthcare professionals about the appropriate use of ... Read more

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Further Information

Related Condition Support Groups

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

Related Drug Support Groups

Foradil Aerolizer, Perforomist