By IANS
London : A commonly available antibiotic called macrolide may help improve the quality of life of patients with types of asthma which are difficult to control, new research has shown.
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects airways. It triggers wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightening and coughing.
Asthma is usually easy to manage, but approximately five percent of patients suffer from forms of the disease that are difficult to control despite medication.
The findings of the latest study by the researchers at University of Newcastle and Hunter New England Health indicate that macrolide antibiotics could prove a successful therapy in conjunction with current asthma treatment, reported science portal EurekAlert.
Results of the study showed that treatment with this antibiotic for eight weeks significantly reduced inflammation in the airways and improved quality of life for patients with difficult asthma.
Current asthma medication is focussed on treating a particular cell, called an eosinophil. Increased levels of eosinophils are thought to be responsible for inflammation of the airways.
However, almost half of people with asthma symptoms have normal levels of eosinophils and patients with non-eosinophilic asthma particularly benefited from this treatment, the researchers said.
They added that the finding is significant because five to 10 percent of asthma cases that are considered difficult account for 50 percent of asthma treatment and health care costs.