If your child is ill, your first port of call is your local GP.
You put all your trust in your doctor’s diagnosis and ensure your child uses their medication as prescribed, safe in the knowledge this will make them better.
But what if your child has asthma and is one of one in seven who, due to a gene mutation, will not react positively to Salmeterol, the drug found in their inhaler.
If your child is diagnosed with asthma they are usually given an inhaler which is blue in colour. If their condition doesn’t respond to this treatment, it may be necessary for your doctor to up their medication and give them a purple or green inhaler to use.
But this contains Salmeterol, a stimulant which targets the beta-2 receptors in the body which can soothe the muscles in the airways that constrict during an asthma attack.
One in every seven asthmatics has a mutation of the beta-2 receptors which results in it being an unusual shape. This makes it difficult for the drug to identify it.
In a study into the use of Salmeterol, researchers monitored 62 children with the genetic mutation, all had had to miss school or seek medical treatment for asthma even though they were taking steroid-based inhalers.
The children were split into two groups. One was given Salmeterol as well as their usual preventer inhaler, while the second group were given anti-inflammatory medicine Montelukast along with their usual preventer inhaler.
Those on Salmeterol, the drug commonly prescribed for asthmatic children, showed no signs of improvement. Those taking Montelukast experienced improved symptoms and an improvement in their quality of life. Half the children in the group taking Montelukast didn’t need to use their daily reliever at the end of the year-long study.
An inexpensive and simple spit test can highlight those with the mutated gene who will not respond to Salmeterol. If they are identified, they can be prescribed treatment that will have a positive effect on their condition.