Asthma

No significant difference between LAMAs and LABAs in treating persistent asthma, research finds

Data from 15 randomised trials show that while long-acting muscarinic antagonists reduced exacerbation risk by a third, there was no significant improvement compared with long-acting beta-agonists.…

Asthma-related death rate in UK among highest in Europe, charity analysis finds

The rate of asthma deaths in the UK has increased by more than 20% in five years, meaning the UK has one of the worst asthma death rates in Europe, according to an analysis carried out by charity Asthma UK.…

Increasing inhaled steroid dosage does not reduce severe exacerbations in children with mild-moderate asthma

Increasing the inhaled glucocorticoid dosage in children with mild-moderate asthma at times of poor asthma control does not reduce the rate of severe asthma exacerbations, a study has shown.…

Quadrupling steroid inhaler dose cuts serious asthma attacks

A study has shown that temporarily quadrupling the dosage of inhaled corticosteroids during periods of worsening asthma cuts the rate of serious asthma attacks by 20%.…

More to be done to support children from black and ethnic minority backgrounds in medicines adherence and optimisation

The article ‘Communicating with parents and involving children in medicines optimisation’ written by Ashifa Trivedi and published in The Pharmaceutical Journal (2017;299(7906):231­–234) was an enjoyable and thought-provoking read, especially while I embark on a PhD conce…

Asthmatic women using only short-acting treatments take longer to conceive, study finds

Asthmatic women who only use short-acting treatment are more likely to have difficulty conceiving compared with women who rely on longer-acting medication to manage their condition.…

Coarse, as well as fine, particulate matter increases asthma risk in children

Study finds that exposure to coarse particulate matter is significantly associated with an increased relative rate of asthma diagnosis, independent of exposure to fine particulate matter.…

Basic asthma care comes down to ‘postcode lottery’ Asthma UK survey finds

Just 35% of people with asthma are receiving the most basic level of asthma care, according to the fifth annual asthma survey from charity Asthma UK.…

Fructose increases risk of childhood asthma, independent of obesity

A study of 1,068 mother-child pairs has shown that high fructose intake increases risk of mid-childhood asthma…

Over-55s should have more regular asthma checkups

Patients with asthma aged over 55 are more likely to experience symptom ‘flare-ups’ and need more regular check-ups than younger asthmatics, according to research presented at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting…