A new study recently found that popular treatments such as inhalers are often ineffective in severe asthma attacks. Inhalers (corticosteroids) are used as emergency treatment during an asthma attack to reduce inflammation and irritation of the airways.
It is effective in moderate asthma but often ineffective in people with severe asthma. Study co-author and vice-chancellor of clinical and translational science at Rutgers University in New Jersey, Reynold Panettiere Jr., said the study uncovers a reason why conventional treatments are ineffective for patients with severe asthma.
Reynold and colleagues found that two naturally occurring factors (which stimulate cell division) are activated in the airways of patients with severe asthma when patients use an inhaler and Block the action of the drug. These two factors are the fibroblastic growth factor (FGF) and the granulocytic colony-forming growth factor.
"If we find new ways to treat severe asthma that directly affect the factors mentioned above, we may be able to restore sensitivity to steroids and improve outcomes," Reynold said.