Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

As per a study by Sebastian Albertí (Institut Universitari d’Investigacions en Ciències de la Salut, IUNICS, Palma de Mallorca, Spain) and colleagues, the effects of an inhaled steroid (fluticasone propionate) could significantly minimize the capability of major pathogens to invade the respiratory epithelium.

From Medicalnewstoday.com:

Patients affected by COPD often suffer episodes of worsening of symptoms called acute exacerbations, mostly caused by bacterial infections. These episodes of exacerbation impact negatively on the health status of the patients, worsen their prognosis and are associated with a very significant social and economic cost.

Treatment with inhaled steroids, such as fluticasone propionate, reduces the frequency and severity of acute exacerbations in patients with COPD, but their role in controlling bacterial infection is controversial.

In healthy subjects the lung is sterile, but in patients with COPD it is not and bacteria like S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae is frequently isolated.

This finding is expected to offer implications to medical practitioners all over the world to treat COPD patients.

Inflammation measures were found to be considerably better for patients with hay fever and administered with fluticasone propionate than the combination of two anti-allergy drugs, according to Robert Naclerio, M.D., professor of surgery at the University of Chicago and director of the study.

The study was presented at the 58th annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

From News.Bio-Medicine.Org:

“Because of the effect on inflammation, we prefer fluticasone,” he added, “but for patients, the choice may come down to cost and whether they would prefer a pill or a spray.”

Since one out of five people in the United States suffers from seasonal allergies, such preferences have financial implications. Antihistamines are prescribed three times as often, even though intranasal corticosteroids are less expensive than the non-sedating antihistamines. Combining loratidine with montelukast increases the cost difference.

A daily dose of Claritin, the leading antihistamine, costs $2.92 at the University of Chicago Hospitals pharmacy. Singulair, which works by blocking leukotrienes — substances that trigger inflammation — costs $4 per day. Flonase, the leading prescription nasal spray, costs $2.21 per day.

It was suggested during the study that use of nasal sprays result in less of patients’ nasal passages and those administered with steroid nasal sprays displayed signs of minimal side effects and lower levels of eosinophil cationic protein, an inflammation sign. It was remarked by Naclerio that fluticasone truly shows its worth because of its unmatched benefits and low cost.