Health
Severe asthma may need new approach
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 18, 2008
Severe asthma may be a different disease rather than a more extreme form, and this may be the reason why therapies that work so well in those with the mild to moderate version do not work for this population, according to a study published in the February Journal of Applied Physiology.
Researchers analyzed the characteristics of 669 participants of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Severe Asthma Research Program. Those with severe asthma were more likely to trap air in their lungs even when not experiencing an attack and were more likely to continue to have airway obstruction after treatment with a beta-agonist.
"That tells us that something different is going on in people classified as having severe asthma, either physiologically or in the airways that are affected," said Ronald L. Sorkness, PhD, lead author and professor of pharmacy, medicine and pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/02/18/hlbf0218.htm.
