Mindy Harzula loves the fact it’s spring, but knows her allergies are about to kick in and so might some of her asthma symptoms. “When I sleep I’m up all night long. I mean, I take my inhaler which opens up my airways,” Mindy says. Fortunately, Mindy’s asthma is mostly under control. But, for many of the estimated twenty million Americans, asthma can be a debilitating condition, even, a killer.

Asthma could be triggered off due to the use of a popular pain medicine, says new research. The research, done at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York and published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, confirms acetaminophen, the active ingredient in pain medicines like Tylenol, can be a risk factor for the development of asthma.

Mindy Harzula loves the fact it’s spring, but knows her allergies are about to kick in and so might some of her asthma symptoms. “When I sleep I’m up all night long. I mean, I take my inhaler which opens up my airways,” Mindy says. Fortunately, Mindy’s asthma is mostly under control. But, for many of the estimated twenty million Americans, asthma can be a debilitating condition, even, a killer.

Dr. Graham Barr is the lead investigator. The study’s participants were nurses. “Amongst the nurses who used acetaminophen more than two weeks out of a month had an increased risk of subsequently developing asthma,” reports Dr. Barr. He points out that since the 1970’s there’s been a rise in the use of acetaminophen. That rise coincided with the rise in the frequency of asthma cases and the severity of those cases.

It’s believed the problem is focused on a protein in the lung called glutathione.
It protects the lung from damage and keeps the airways open. It’s believed Tylenol decreases the levels of glutathione, and in susceptible individuals, this causes the airways to spasm and clamp down, causing wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing.

The study found those women who used acetaminophen for more than 14 days per month had a 63% higher risk of developing a diagnosis of asthma compared to non-users.

Overall, the greater the Tylenol use, the greater the asthma risk. Mindy doesn’t use it frequently at all, maybe only once every other week. So, for her, Tylenol is not a concern. Only those taking Tylenol daily for more than two weeks in a month are at highest risk.

“We don’t suggest large changes in use based on this. This is may be something for individual patients and physicians,” assures Dr. Barr. “We have pretty good evidence that most patients with asthma tolerate acetaminophen without problems.” The findings apply mostly to difficult to manage asthmatics.

Medical experts say, if the patient is not getting better, then it might make sense to delve into the patient’s acetaminophen use history and consider changing over to another pain reliever like ibuprofen. But, always consult with your doctor first.

For more information on asthma, click here http://www.healthnewsconnect.com/page0007.html
http://www.aaaai.org/

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