BREATHING MACHINES FOR ASTHMA

Aspirin intolerant asthma in Australians Aspirin intolerant asthma (AIA) affects more than one-tenth of Australian asthmatics, as well as a small proportion of the non-asthmatic community, according to a recent study. Previous research has shown that AIA affects a significant proportion of asthma patients, however, its prevalence among the Australian population has not been established to date. Dr H Vally and breathing machines for asthma breathing machines for asthma colleagues from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Nedlands, Western Australia, investigated the prevalence of AIA among three cohorts - one from a hospital-based source (n=150), one from the Asthma Foundation of Western Australia (n=366) and one from a rural community (n=1,298). Participants completed a questionnaire detailing their food and medicine allergies and the side effects that resulted from ingestion of these products. The researchers found preventive asthma medications breathing machines for asthma that 10.7 per cent of the first cohort had AIA and 10.4 were affected in the second. Among asthmatics in the community sample, 10.9 per cent had AIA, and an additional 2.5 per cent of non-asthmatics suffered asthma symptoms following administration of aspirin. Further analysis of the data obtained from the Asthma Foundation cohort indicated that AIA was associated with more severe asthma, nasal polyposis, information on asthma relievers breathing machines for asthma atopy, sulphite sensitivity and wine sensitivity. Predictors of AIA included atopy, nasal polyposis, wine sensitivity and number of asthma exacerbations in the past year. The researchers conclude that aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs trigger respiratory symptoms in 10-11 per cent of asthmatics and some non-asthmatics as well. Further research is needed to determine the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon and whether it is linked to asthma in children breathing machines for asthma other allergies, they add.