Posts Tagged ‘asthma’

When it comes to preventing asthma attacks, a drug widely prescribed as the sole treatment for asthma has been found to be incapable by itself.

This drug is also ineffective in controlling the airway inflammation thought to lead to deteriorated lung function and gradual worsening of asthma.

From Ucsf.edu:

“Inhaled steroids are widely underutilized,” Lazarus concludes. “In low doses they are safe, and they are the most proven method of attacking the inflammation that is asthma’s greatest long-term danger.”

Lazarus is co-author of a companion article in the same issue of JAMA which found that once their asthma was brought under control with inhaled steroids and long-acting beta agonists, most patients with more severe asthma could cut their steroid dosage in half with no ill effects. But if the steroids were dropped completely, the asthma could not be adequately controlled.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Ephedrine is one of the most sought-after weight loss drugs. One of the biggest reasons behind success and popularity of this drug is the fact that medically guided use of this drug does not lead to any side effects.

The weight loss drug is best described as a potent CNS stimulant and fat loss agent that promotes dramatic benefits when combined with caffeine. This highly effective, easily available, and affordable drug is also prescribed to provide relief to individuals afflicted with asthma. Also known as Ma Huang and Ephedra, Ephedrine is a traditional Chinese herb admired worldwide for its stimulant and antiasthmatic properties and includes concentrations of phenylpropanolamines and other alkaloids.

This drug is quite popular with sportsmen on performance enhancing drugs and striving to lose weight to deliver dramatic performances without fail, especially those participating in weight categories such as boxing and weightlifting. Ephedrine has the unique ability of nutrient repartitioning as it promotes body fat loss while preserving fat-free mass. It is second to none when it comes to improving performance levels when taken before exercise sessions.

This ideal dieting aid is not recommended to any one with an existing hypersensitivity to any of its components and is not prescribed to breastfeeding, pregnant, or pregnancy-suspecting women. The drug is also not advised to individuals afflicted with health complications like urinary retention, diabetes, glaucoma, seizure disorder, renal impairment, or prostatic hypertrophy. When abused, Ephedrine use can lead to side effects such as stroke, seizures, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, insomnia, headache, elevated blood pressure, tremor, dizziness, and CNS stimulation.

An immune-system protein already used for treating health complications like hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, and a variety of cancers can prove out to be a beneficial option to provide relief to asthmatics.

Interferon, the protein, could be prescribed as a readily available and valuable therapy for treating asthmatic patients, according to researchers from the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

From Sciencedaily.com:

“This finding is incredibly important, because humans are being treated with interferon for a variety of diseases, yet no one has tried treating asthma patients with interferon,” said Dr. J. David Farrar, assistant professor of immunology and molecular biology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study. “The current therapies for asthma are inhalers and steroids, both of which offer only temporary relief.”

Asthma results in approximately 200,000 pediatric hospitalizations each year, more than for any other childhood disease. About 20 million people have been diagnosed with asthma in the U.S.

In the current study, the researchers showed in isolated human cells that interferon blocks the development of nascent Th2 cells and inhibits cells that already have become Th2 cells by interfering with a regulatory protein called GATA3, a transcription factor Th2 cells express to regulate their function.

The study was funded by Exxon Mobil Corp and the National Institutes of Health and the findings appeared in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Immunology.

Albuterol is one of the few drugs that have endless benefits for its users. From treating exercise-induced bronchospasm to helping users shed extra kilos of weight under the belt, Albuterol is one name that is trusted and admired by all. Let us read more about this wonder drug and its benefits for professional sportsmen.

Also known as Albuterol sulfate, this drug can easily be labeled as a performance enhancing drug. It helps professional sportsmen, particularly those participating in weight categories, to lose body weight in a short span of time without bringing them close to side effects. Albuterol is second to none when it comes to treating sportsmen with breathing disorders such as asthma besides promoting a sense of well being.

The recommended dose of this miracle drug is 2-4 mg, 3-4 times a day. It is very important to note here that no two doses of Albuterol can be taken together in case one is missed. This drug is not to be used by individuals having an existing allergy to Albuterol or any of its ingredients and is not to be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Albuterol users should be careful while handling it and it should not be incinerate or puncture or brought close to the eyes. Albuterol doses must be in complete accordance with medical guidance else Albuterol abuse can lead to severe health complications such as dry mouth, dizziness, excessive sweating, and tremor. In case any abnormality is experienced by the user, the use of Albuterol should be immediately discontinued and the same should be reported to a qualified medical practitioner.

If you are looking for a potent drug that can help you get extended relief from breathing disorders such as asthma or promote loss of weight before a professional meet, Albuterol is one wonder drug that should be an obvious choice.

Albuterol or Albuterol sulfate is admired by professional sportsmen, especially those participating in weight categories and bodybuilding, to get rid of excess body weight in a short span of time without coming in close contact with side effects of steroids. This safe drug is also useful for providing relief to individuals suffering from exercise-induced bronchospasm or obesity.

Its IUPAC name is 4-[2-(tert-butylamino)-1-hydroxyethyl]-2-(hydroxymethyl) phenol; sulfuric acid. Albuterol sulfate has the molecular weight of 576.7 g/mol at the base and its empirical formula is (C₁₃H₂₁NO₃)2• H₂SO_4.

The recommended dose of Albuterol is two puffs every 4-6 hours and 2-4 mg three times a day for treating obesity and exercise-induced bronchospasm. It is highly important to note here that use of Albuterol is not to be initiated by pregnant and breastfeeding women or individuals having an existing allergy to Albuterol or any of its ingredients. The drug is also not meant for people suffering from high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat, diabetes, and coronary deficiency. When abused, the use of Albuterol can lead to side effects such as tremor, dry mouth, dizziness, and excessive sweating.

Albuterol is required to be kept at a controlled room temperature of 15°-25°C (59°-77°F) and should be kept at a distance away from pets, sunlight, heat, moisture, unauthorized usage, and children.

A Cochrane Systematic Review has suggested that the risk of an asthma attack relapsing is reduced considerably when a short course of corticosteroids is administered to asthmatic patients after being discharged from the hospital post-attack.

It is was disclosed by the study that administration of steroids could be effective for reducing the use of inhalers besides revealing that such benefits can hold good for a period of three weeks.

From News-Medical.Net:

This updated finding was drawn after reviewing data in six trials that together involved 374 people.

Between 12% and 16% of people who are discharged from hospital after having an asthma attack have a relapse within two weeks. “There is considerable debate about the best way of treating people who have asthma attacks, including the dose, method of delivery and timing of delivery of corticosteroids. Our research found clear evidence that people who arrived at a hospital with acute asthma and were well enough to be discharged benefited from the addition of corticosteroid therapy,” says lead author Professor Brian Rowe, who works at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Canada.

Carol Spooner, the review colleague, said that the use of systematic corticosteroids for treating outpatients after getting discharged from the hospital after asthma attack is strongly endorsed by the systematic review.

A potential drug has been identified for providing relief to individuals suffering with hay fever and asthma and will soon underwent trials in humans.

RPL554, the drug, possess the ability of treating respiratory diseases and its use does not lead to side effects that are common with present-day medications.

From News-Medical.Net:

Dr. Page who is a professor of pharmacology at King’s College London, says RPL554 is a single molecule that does both jobs and should have fewer side effect profile and he says they are cautiously optimistic that they can develop a treatment where one puff will last all day.

Current treatments for asthma and hay fever sufferers are beta-agonists, which open up the airways, and inhaled steroids, which dampen down the inflammation that causes irritation – they are either taken together or singly.

But they have serious side effects, including possible harm to the cardiovascular system and the ’shakes’ reported by many patients from excess use.

Experts say little progress has been made recently with alternative, effective and practical treatment options for a wide range of people with asthma and hay fever and by combining anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to overcome airway narrowing in a single long-lasting dose via the nose, RPL554 could offer real hope of a significant breakthrough.

Dr. Clive Page, chairman of Verona Pharma, which is presently developing the treatment, said the company is examining other novel compounds for tackling respiratory ailments on the lines of anti-inflammatory substances that are found in starfish and a treatment for coughs.

Asthmatic patients who are resistant to steroids tend to witness repeated asthma attacks and the risks of death are greater for such patients.

However, vitamin D3 has been found to substantially improve the responsiveness of these patients to steroid treatment in order to provide improvement hopes to the patients according to researchers from King’s College London.

From Sciencedaily.com:

Asthma is usually treated very effectively with inhaled steroids but for some patients, taking steroid tablets is the only way of controlling their condition, and this can cause considerable side effects. Unfortunately a sub-group of people with severe asthma fail to show clinical improvement, even with high doses of oral steroids, limiting their treatment options.

Professor Tak Lee, Director of the MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at King’s College London and Imperial College, who was involved in the latest study, explained its importance: ‘This research is really exciting and points the direction towards potential new strategies for reversing steroid resistance. This has major implications for how to treat patients with severe asthma and could also substantially reduce the use of NHS resources.’

Dr. Lyn Smurthwaite, Research Development Manager at Asthma UK said this research opens up a potentially important new avenue for developing treatment options for individuals finding it hard to control asthma.

People suffering from asthma and osteoarthritis can stop taking steroids within a period of 18 months of bariatric surgery, as per a new study presented at the 25th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

It is also worth noting here that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has already reported this form of surgery as a safe treatment option than ever.

From Medicalnewstoday.com:

Researchers from The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, a teaching hospital of Temple University School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, studied 49 morbidly obese patients who were taking steroids and other immunosuppressive medications to treat chronic inflammatory diseases including asthma and osteoarthritis, and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and myasthenia gravis. These patients, with an average body mass index (BMI) of 47, had bariatric surgery sometime between 1999and 2008.

Eighteen months after bariatric surgery more than half of the patients had so much improvement in their inflammatory or autoimmune disease, they were able to stop taking or significantly reduce the use of oral steroids or immunosuppressive medications, powerful treatments that manage disease but also produce numerous adverse effects, particularly after prolonged use. Patients had an average excess weight loss of 65.2 percent and other obesity-related diseases including type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea were resolved or improved in more than 80 percent of patients. There were 8 early complications and no deaths.

Daniel J. Gagné, MD, the study’s lead author and Director of Bariatric Surgery and Laparoscopic and Minimally Invasive Surgery at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, said that people with compromised immune systems or taking steroids for chronic inflammatory diseases could benefit from bariatric surgery besides experiencing significant improvements or elimination of many diseases.

Children suffering from asthma but making it a point to get themselves engage into physical fitness can exercise a better control on the disease besides improving the quality of life, as per a study published recently in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

The study results suggested aerobic training as effective to improve cardiopulmonary fitness and reduce daily use of inhaled steroids in children with asthma.

From Medicalnewstoday.com:

Asthmatic children, even with moderate to severe disease, showed significant improvements in their aerobic capacity after the training program and a reduction in exercise induced-bronchoconstriction, which induces breathlessness and is a characteristic response to exercise present in most patients. Daily doses of inhaled steroids were reduced in trained patients by 52 percent, but remained unchanged or increased in the control (untrained) group. When compared to controls, these children also reported a significant improvement in health-related quality of life.

The authors emphasize that training should be supervised and performed in children properly medicated, and the actual impact of physical training on clinical indicators of disease control is unknown. While these data suggest an adjunct role of physical conditioning on clinical management of patients with more advanced disease, additional research is warranted to discover the contribution of exercise on asthma symptoms and its manifestations.

Celso Carvalho, Ph.D., an author on the study, remarked that physical training could be a management strategy for symptoms of asthma in children.