Respiratory tract diseases

Proton pump inhibitors linked to pneumonia risk beyond first year of use

Research into long-term proton pump inhibitor use among older adults has led to cautions over pneumonia risk.…

Combined-drug inhaler provides better mild asthma symptom control than SABA alone, researchers find

Use of an inhaled glucocorticoid plus a fast-acting beta-2-agonist provided superior asthma symptom control in patients with mild asthma, compared with use of a short-acting beta agonist alone, researchers have found.…

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.…

Narrow-spectrum antibiotics favourable for paediatric respiratory infections, researchers say

Research has shown that broad-spectrum antibiotics are associated with slightly worse quality of life in children compared with narrow-spectrum antibiotics, without providing a significant benefit…

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.…

Vaping could increase risk of pneumonia, study finds

E-cigarette vapour may increase susceptibility to pneumonia-causing bacteria, a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal has found.…