For people who suffer from asthma, inhalers are the first port of call in terms of any asthma related symptoms. They are relied upon as the standard medicine and seen as vital to the wellbeing of all asthmatics. But new research has come to light that three common inhalers are the cause of four out of every five asthma-related deaths every year in the United States.
The researchers, from Stanford and Cornell University, concluded that inhalers containing the drugs salmeterol or formoterol were actually dangerous to asthmatics. While the inhalers do relieve the symptoms of asthma, they also have a side effect of triggering bronchial inflammation and sensitivity without warning.
The team looked at 19 published trials involving 33,826 patients. In the study they noted that asthmatics who used the inhalers were 3.5 times more like to die, and 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalised (whether or not it results in death) than patients who took a placebo.
Asthma-related deaths are still generally very rare with 15 of those who used the inhalers dying, compared to just three from those who were given the placebo. Nevertheless, it is still statistically significant and also that over a longer period salmeterol and formoterol will kill a large number of people.
The researchers estimate that 4,000 of the 5,000 asthma-related deaths in the United States are specifically caused by these inhalers, and as such it would be safer to take them off the market altogether. It was also noted that adding an anti-inflammatory drug to be taken alongside the inhalers would be ineffective in reducing the danger.
It is especially worrying that not only are the drugs causing health issues for the people they are supposed to be protecting, but that they are actually the direct result of a huge number of deaths every year.
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