Strange it may sound, but almost 50 percent of the asthmatics on inhalers are not actually asthmatic. According to the findings, nearly 50 percent of all patients labeled as asthmatics by primary-level physicians exhibit wheezing or coughing symptoms triggered by viral infection, allergy or malignancies in the upper respiratory tract.
“Inhalers must not be prescribed without detailed diagnosis and confirmation of asthma. It is linked to severe side-effects on prolonged use,” Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, internal medicine at Apollo hospital averred.
He further emphasized on the fact that inhalers should be used in the right way. When used in the right way with correct dosage they help relieve symptoms. But when used wrongly, the steroids packed in the inhalers can cause serious side-effects. “The side effects associated with their misuse include growth suppression and the dampening of immune cell activity in the airways and the subsequent heightened risk of respiratory infections”.
The suggestions and recommendations are published in the online journal, Archives of Disease in Childhood (ADC).
