Asthma inhaler part of problem

Pittsburgh researchers say a chemical used in inhalers for asthma patients can reverse the beneficial effect of the inhaled medicine. .

Pittsburgh researchers say a chemical used in inhalers for asthma patients can reverse the beneficial effect of the inhaled medicine. Williams Ameredes of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said Saturday albuterol, in a class of medications called beta-agonists, is combined with steroids for asthma patients.It relaxes and opens the muscle surrounding air passages in the lungs, making it easier to breathe. “Our findings indicated that albuterol, in combination with dexamethasone, reduced human airway smooth muscle cell production of an important pro-inflammatory chemical signal. Thus, the anti-inflammatory effects of the steroid were amplified by the active isomer of the beta-agonist,” Ameredes said. His research was presented earlier this week in San Francisco, during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.(Source:United Press International, March 2004)