Discovery could reduce risks posed by overuse of relievers
04 November 2009

People with poorly controlled asthma could benefit from the findings of a research project funded by Asthma UK.

People in this group often use their reliever inhalers frequently, for immediate relief from asthma symptoms. However, research suggests that people who rely too heavily on reliever inhalers whilst not using their preventer inhalers, are more at risk of having an asthma attack.

Professor Bradding and colleagues at the University of Leicester studied interactions between the medicines administered by reliever inhalers and the immune system.

The lungs of people with asthma produce more of a molecule called stem cell factor (SCF) than normal. The researchers discovered that SCF prevents reliever medication from working properly, and when combined with the medicine from reliever inhalers, might actually increase the release of histamine in the lungs, causing asthma symptoms. This might explain why frequent use of reliever inhalers can cause a person’s asthma to worsen.

This discovery could lead to the development of drugs that target SCF and thus both enhance the effectiveness of relievers and reduce the risk posed by frequent reliever use. 

Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK said: ‘We know that when people take inhaled steroids regularly, this reduces the level of SCF in the lungs, and potentially protects them from any harmful effects of regular use of reliever inhalers.

‘However, many people who are advised to use a steroid-containing preventer inhaler regularly, fail to do so, exposing them to the potentially harmful effects of using their reliever inhaler too often.

‘If future research reinforces Professor Bradding’s findings, this research might lead to the creation of new treatments that benefit many thousands of people across the UK.’

This research was published this month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.