Featured Review: Combination fixed-dose beta agonist and steroid inhaler as required for adults or children with mild asthma

New Cochrane Review on the efficacy and safety of inhalers for those with mild asthma published on World Asthma Day.World Asthma Day on 5 May is an annual event on organized by the  Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.Cochrane Airways works with authors (typically clinicians and researchers) to produce systematic reviews on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis and other lung diseases, and asthma. We asked Dr Timothy Hinks, one of the Cochrane Review authors, about the findings of this recent review.For those with mild asthma, there are different types of inhaler. What ’s the difference?There are two main types of inhaled medications for asthma. ‘Relievers’ treat just the symptoms by relaxing the constricted airways, these medicines are ‘beta-agonists’, some of which are fast-acting (FABA) and provide symptom relief within 5-10 minutes. ‘Preventers’ are inhaled corticosteroids, which treat the underlying inflammation causing ast hma. Inhaled steroids are very effective in reducing severe attacks of asthma and asthma deaths, but they need to be taken for several days at a time before people begin to feel the effects. Both medications are important and helpful. These different types of medicines were originally given in two s eparate inhaler devices and someone with asthma needed to use two different inhalers. This caused a problem that many people depended too much on the reliever in...
Source: Cochrane News and Events - Category: Information Technology Authors: Source Type: news