The June 21, 2004 USA Today reported on two recent studies conducted at Stanford University and published in The Annals of Internal Medicine and Chest, which found that beta-agonists, one the most commonly prescribed medicines to treat people with asthma, may actually exacerbate the illness and contribute to heart problems. The article explains that beta-agonists relax muscles in the lungs when they spasm during an asthma attack and are administered in two ways: as a fast-acting drug at the beginning of an attack and in a longer-acting form designed to prevent attacks, which is often given in combination with inhaled steroids. According to the article, the researchers reviewed studies conducted from 1966 to 2003 of people with asthma taking beta-agonists. They found that patients who took the drug on a daily basis developed a tolerance and had more inflammation in their lungs than those not taking the drug at all. As such, they concluded that daily doses of beta-agonists may increase the risk of a fatal asthma attack by making a person more susceptible to a serious attack.
The team's second study was on the effects of beta-agonists on the heart. The article explains that beta-agonists increase heart rate and decrease potassium levels, putting the heart at greater risk of attack. According to the article, the researchers found that asthma patients who took beta-agonists were more than two times more likely to have adverse cardiovascular events such as congestive heart failure, heart attacks and sudden death.
Despite these findings, the National Institutes of Heath treatment guidelines for those with moderate asthma call for the use of long-acting beta-agonists in combination with inhaled corticosteroids. In addition, the FDA says that if taken as directed, beta-agonists are safe and effective. The president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology concurred with the FDA, saying “there doesn’t seem to be evidence of adverse problems when beta-agonists are used properly.”
For the entire article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-06-21-asthma-risk_x.htm.
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