Managing Asthma with Anti-inflammatories

Sunday, August 2, 2009, 22:39
Asthma
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Andrew:

Dr. Shapiro, would you please explain to us what anti-inflammatory drugs are and how they help prevent what we commonly call an asthma attack?

Dr. Shapiro:

Bronchodilating medicines like albuterol will relax the muscle in the bronchial tube, but not take care of the underlying swelling and puffiness and mucous production. That’s what the anti-inflammatory agents do. And they need to be used on a regular, everyday basis to keep symptoms under control day-to-day, and also to give you a better chance to avoid exacerbations when a bad virus or a bad allergen comes along.

Andrew:

And what are the names of some of these drugs that people would be familiar with?

Dr. Shapiro:

Well, certainly Cromolyn is a well-known one, and Adocramil or Tilade is another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. There are a lot of inhaled corticosteroids that are very good anti-inflammatory agents, and they are a step up in potency. There are some new tablet anti-inflammatory agents that are known as leukotrine antagonists, and they are on the milder side. They’re not as potent as the inhaled corticosteroids.

Andrew:

When someone ends up with what you’d call moderate or severe asthma, then, is that where these inhaled corticosteroids come in, typically?

Dr. Shapiro:

Yes, that’s usually where they come in and they are generally very safe. They can be used in a way to manage disease well without having side effects. Some people hear steroid or corticosteroid and they just flip out, but actually there’s a tremendous window of opportunity with these agents for very good effects.

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