The February 20, 2004 BBC News reported on a recent study conducted by researchers at King's College Hospital in London, who warn that more asthma patients are at risk of having an attack after taking aspirin than previously thought. The article says that one in five people with asthma are at risk of having a severe reaction to aspirin, which is twice as many as had been estimated. According to the article, the researchers reviewed 21 studies of patients with asthma and found 21% of adults and 5% of children experienced a reaction to aspirin. Writing in the British Medical Journal, they said that many patients are unaware of the risk and that other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen, can also trigger an attack. The authors of the study highlight the importance of raising awareness of the potential risks for people with asthma and are calling for warnings to be added to packaging. Furthermore, health experts are saying that while the risk associated with asthma has been well known, this study shows that the risk includes all NSAIDS. To view the article visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3504323.stm.
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