The most common treatment for those who suffer from recurring bouts of asthma attacks and asthma in general is the use of corticosteroids in the form of an inhaler. This device jets the drugs into the patients lungs and when the come into contact with the inflamed tissue, the lessen the inflammation and allow normal respiration to continue. Without an inhaler asthmatics would be in serious danger of death each time they had an asthma attack (obviously this is dependant on the severity of their condition).
In a recent study scientists aimed to work out if intermittent use of these corticosteroids was a more effective treatment for asthma than daily and persistent use of them. Most asthmatics are advised to only used their inhalers during an attack and though some with have to use larger respiration devices much more often to enable continued comfort breathing, this is less common.
The study took two groups of adults and children, one of whom used the intermittent option and the other used the daily alternative. The hope was that they’d find a much more effective way of treating the condition and allow asthmatics a much better quality of life.
The study showed that daily use of corticosteroids was minutely better for a patients lungs and increased airflow and respiration levels for those patients in that group. However, using the corticosteroids daily also slightly stunted the growth of the children.
These findings have caused researchers to suggest that physicians only prescribe a daily dose of corticosteroids to those who they feel would benefit the most and not the those who probably don’t need the boost.
If you’re an asthmatic and you think that a daily dose of corticosteroids could help you out in your day to day life then don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor and see if it could work for you!
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