Inhalers that combine providing immediate relief with a longer-term preventative effect are already recommended as the standard treatment for mild asthma among people aged 12 and above in the UK, US and some other countries. Now, a study of nearly 400 children in New Zealand has shown that these inhalers are more effective in younger children, too, nearly halving the number of asthma attacks.
It remains to be seen if national and international guidelines will be changed on the basis of these findings, says team member Andy Bush at Imperial College London, but the results are clear cut. “Certainly if it was my child with asthma, I would have them on the combination,” he says.
The standard treatment for mild asthma used to be inhalers containing salbutamol, also known as albuterol, which relaxes muscles in the airways for 3 or 4 hours after use. These “reliever” inhalers were used as needed.
Source: