A breath of fresh air for asthma sufferers

An under-used class of prescription drug for treating asthma is just as effective as conventional methods according to new research. Scientists, from the University of East Anglia, say pills containing leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) can provide an alternative to steroid-based inhaler treatments for mild forms of the disease.

Team leader, Prof David Price says “We hope these findings will increase the options for healthcare professionals when prescribing for this common but disruptive disease.” Increasing the methods available to sufferers is important for improving their quality of life and reducing the risk of fatalities.

Whilst some patients respond well to steroids, many find them unsuitable as they can induce side effects such as weight gain and fungal infections. LTRAs have fewer side effects and could be helpful for up to 80% of patients who cannot use inhalers. Despite these benefits, they are only third or fourth in order of preferred treatment methods under current UK guidelines.

The study also found that administering LTRAs orally was easier than using steroid inhalers, allowing sufferers to control their disease more effectively. Managing symptoms more astutely can reduce distressing and expensive hospital visits by 75% says Neil Churchill, chief executive of Asthma UK. This could amount to huge savings for the NHS, which currently deals with 74,000 asthma related admissions every year. Asthma affects 8% of the UK population and, has a social and economic impact with an annual cost to the economy of £2 billion. The disease is caused when the immune system overreacts to particles in the air, narrowing the windpipe and increasing phlegm production. LTRAs inhibit the molecules that cause inflammation and restriction of the airway to alleviate common asthma symptoms.