Antifungal treatment helps some asthma patients
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with severe asthma who are allergic to fungal organisms benefit substantially from treatment with the anti-fungal drug itraconazole, new research shows.
To check out this strategy, a trial was conducted in the UK involving patients who needed high doses of steroids to control their asthma and who were sensitive to at least one of seven common types of fungi. Dr. David W. Denning at the University Hospital of South Manchester and colleagues report the results in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Ultimately, the analysis included 18 patients assigned to itraconazole and 23 assigned to an inactive placebo pill.
After 32 weeks, the score on a standard asthma-related quality-of-life questionnaire showed a significantly greater improvement in the itraconazole group than the placebo group.
However, the scores reverted to their baseline levels following completion of the trial, indicating that “continuing antifungal therapy beyond 8 months is important for maintaining quality of life in these patients,” the investigators say.
Denning’s group concludes, “The magnitude of the antifungal effect on symptoms of asthma seen in this study is promising.”
SOURCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, January 1, 2009.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Related Posts:
LONDON (Reuters) - Pills used to treat common skin infections caused by fungi also appear to help some people with severe asthma, according to a British study published on Monday. Volunteers with an allergic reaction to one or more fungi showed significant improvements in their asthma after taking antifungal itraconazole pills, David Denning at University Hospital
Full Post: Antifungal pills could help treat asthma: study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Patients with a common and painful heel condition called plantar fasciitis benefit from a new type of shock wave therapy in which energy is delivered across a broader area of the foot, German researchers report. The treatment, called radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), “can be strongly recommended for patients with
Full Post: Shock wave therapy relieves plantar fasciitis pain
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) - Babies born four months before the peak cold and flu season have a 30 percent higher risk of developing asthma, U.S. researchers said on Friday, suggesting that these common infections may trigger asthma. “All infants are exposed to this and it is potentially preventable,” said Dr. Tina Hartert, director of the
Full Post: Autumn babies at greater risk of asthma: study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Rather than being an abrupt action, withdrawal of life support often occurs in a sequential or “stuttering” fashion over a period of time, such that the whole process takes longer than a day, according to a new study. Once someone is determined to be brain dead, there is no medical reason
Full Post: Withdrawal of life support often stepwise
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Megan Rauscher NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In children with both asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), treating the latter can improve the former, according to research presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Seattle. GERD is a common disease in which fluid from the stomach backs
Full Post: Treating reflux helps kids with asthma