'.....Older people using steroid inhalers for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at high risk from hard-to-treat bacterial infections, according to new research.
Steroid inhalers increase the risk of lung infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria, which are difficult to treat and resistant to a number of common drugs, a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal found.
The study included 417,494 people with COPD or asthma aged 66 and older, who had all been prescribed medicine for their condition at least once.
The researchers found those patients who were currently using steroid inhalers were around twice as likely to be diagnosed with an infection of this type.....'
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Hiya - our medical officer and asthma nurses have also been looking at this. So, firstly, don’t forget that this is a correlation, not a causal link. Steroids do affect your immune system but not taking steroids when they’re prescribed as the least worst option by your HCP for a condition carries considerably higher risks. We’re working hard on funding and identifying new treatments but, well, it takes a while...
Secondly (Asthma UK Public Service Announcement mode!), here’s what Our Dr Andy says:
Dr Andrew Whittamore, Asthma UK’s in-house GP, said:
“The majority of people with asthma treat their condition with preventer inhalers, containing small doses of steroids which usually do not cause adverse side effects. The most important action people can do to reduce their risk of asthma attacks is to use their preventer inhalers as prescribed. This builds up protection in the airways over time, so that when someone encounters an asthma trigger, they are less likely to have an attack. In the UK, somebody has a life-threatening asthma attack every 10 seconds, which can result in hospitalisation and even death. In cases where someone is still getting asthma symptoms three or more times a week despite taking higher doses of inhaled steroid medication as prescribed then being checked over by an asthma specialist is recommended. There may be different treatments available to keep you well and stop you needing higher doses of steroid medication.
“If people have concerns about steroid medication, Asthma UK recommends that you continue using your inhaler as prescribed but make an appointment to talk to your doctor or nurse as soon as possible. Alternatively, Asthma UK’s asthma specialist nurses are available on 0300 222 5800 to advise.”
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