8 Foods That May Help Relieve Asthma Symptoms

Warning Over Asthma Inhalers

Excessive use of reliever inhalers for asthma is linked to a significantly increased risk of dying from the disease, a new study revealed today.

Researchers found that over-use of short acting reliever drugs known as beta agonists is associated with a higher risk of death from asthma.

But regular use of inhaled steroids, known as longer acting preventer drugs, was linked with a decreased risk of asthma death.

They discovered that people prescribed more than one reliever inhaler a month cut their risk of death by 60% if they also regularly used a preventer inhaler.

The study was based on more than 96,000 patients in the UK diagnosed with asthma who were entered onto the General Practice Research Database between 1994 and 1998.

Of these, 43 had died from asthma, with 35 of the deaths in people aged 50 and above.

The research team from Connecticut, USA, calculated the relative risk of dying from asthma for people using the preventer and reliever drugs, taking into account factors such as the patients' age, sex, weight, smoking habits and frequency of GP visits.

They found that between seven and 12 prescriptions of reliever inhalers in the previous year increased the risk 16-fold and 13 or more prescriptions increased it by more than 50-fold.

The authors, writing in the journal Thorax today, state that asthma death is a rare outcome for which the rates have been declining.

But they say: "Despite the variety of respiratory medications available, inhaled steroids constituted the only class of respiratory drug in this study which was consistently related to a decreased risk of asthma death."

The British Thoracic Society said that reliever inhalers have their place in the management of asthma.

Dr John Harvey of the BTS said: "This research clearly demonstrates just how important it is for asthma patients to use both reliever and preventer medicines if they are prescribed by their GP.

"Both can have their place in managing mild and severe asthma correctly."

Preventer medication, which is usually in a brown, red or orange inhaler, helps to control swelling and inflammation in the airways for the long term.

Reliever inhalers, which are typically blue, are taken as required to relieve symptoms by relaxing muscles in narrowed airways.

The BTS said overwhelming research showed both forms of medication are safe and effective.

It is advising anyone concerned about using reliever inhalers to talk to their GP or asthma nurse.

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All About Salt Pipes (Salt Inhalers)

A salt pipe is an inhaler containing salt particles. Advocates of salt pipes suggest they help with many health conditions, including asthma, but scientific support is limited.

Salt therapy, also known as halotherapy, can involve the use of salt pipes.

Halotherapy is an alternative treatment of breathing salty air that, according to anecdotal evidence and some advocates of natural healing, may help ease:

However, scientific support for these claims is limited.

Keep reading to learn more about whether salt pipes can help relieve certain health conditions, types of salt therapy, and how to use salt pipes.

COPD is a lung disease that obstructs airflow. It's caused by long-term exposure to particulate matter and irritating gases, often from cigarette smoke.

A2014 review of 151 studies examined the potential benefits of salt therapy for COPD. This review discovered only one high quality randomized controlled trial. Thus, the overall evidence was insufficient to recommend halotherapy as an effective treatment for COPD. The researchers emphasized the need for more rigorous research to determine its effectiveness.

More recently, a 2022 research review of 13 manuscripts largely supported the use of salt therapy, specifically dry salt inhalers, suggesting they positively affect people with chronic respiratory diseases. It's thought that salt therapy does this by improving the removal of mucus from the lungs, boosting lung function, and improving overall breathing health and quality of life.

However, none of these manuscripts were published as peer-reviewed studies, nor did the review include any randomized controlled trials. Therefore, the evidence presented is not as robust as it may initially seem.

Ultimately, more structured research, specifically randomized clinical trials, is necessary to better assess the efficacy of halotherapy.

According to Asthma + Lung UK, not enough is known yet about halotherapy to consider it a reliable asthma treatment.

The charity notes that there are very few studies on salt therapy of good quality. It warns that inhaling salt may even irritate the airways and trigger a coughing or asthma attack. Currently, health professionals do not generally recommend salt therapy for people with asthma.

A 2021 study echoed this skepticism amongst health professionals. That said, the same study found that salt therapy showed some promise in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of asthma. Still, the study acknowledged that further research is necessary to address existing limitations and concerns.

While there is a fair amount of anecdotal evidence to support the benefits of halotherapy, the lack of high quality scientific studies means it cannot yet be considered a proven treatment for conditions like asthma, COPD, or skin conditions.

Before trying a salt pipe or any new type of treatment, speak with your doctor to make sure it's safe based on your health and the medications you're taking.

Overuse Of Asthma Inhalers Linked To Severe Attacks; Study

Data from a massive real-world study of asthma patients has suggested that overuse of inhalers is widespread and leading to an elevated risk of severe exacerbations.

The results from the SABINA registry programme in more than a million people with the respiratory disease show that 40% of patients were over-using short-acting beta agonist (SABA) inhalers, which are used on demand to open up the airways.

The analysis also shows that heavy users who went through three or more SABA inhalers in a year were 32% more likely to experience severe attacks than those using one or two per year, and were less likely to have their symptoms under control.

The finding was independent of the use of maintenance therapy with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), used to dampen down the inflammation seen in the lungs of people with asthma.

The researchers – which have published their work in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and European Respiratory Journal – suggest the link between SABA overuse and severe exacerbations stems from a lack of maintenance therapy, with steroids administered orally intermittently in bursts to tackle attacks, often without face-to-face contact with a physician.

"The SABINA findings reveal that high use of SABA relievers is a common issue in many countries and is associated with a greater risk of severe asthma attacks in patients around the world," said lead investigator Jennifer Quint of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London.

"These data reinforce the urgent need to adopt treatment paradigms that improve asthma management, including those from the Global Initiative for Asthma, which no longer recommend SABA as the preferred reliever therapy across all asthma severities," she added.

GINA recommends that as-needed SABAs used in conjunction with background ICS maintenance doses are the preferred way to manage asthma, as studies show a clear decrease in severe exacerbations compared with SABA alone.

There are an estimated 176 million asthma exacerbations globally per year, which are physically threatening and emotionally significant for many patients and can be fatal.

The results were hailed by Mene Pangalos, head of biopharma R&D at AstraZeneca, which has a 50-year heritage in developing respiratory medicines.

"There is a clear need for asthma management that addresses the inflammatory nature of the disease and reduces exacerbation risk to improve outcomes for patients," he said.

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