- Researchers have developed a digital device that provides an objective assessment of how a person uses their inhaler.
- Researchers report that people using the device to monitor medication adherence were more likely to use less medication to treat their asthma.
- The researchers said the technology could help doctors decide which patients would benefit from expensive biologic drugs.
Asthma is a chronic condition affecting the airways that can cause wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest, and shortness of breath.
An asthma attack occurs when these symptoms become severe.
About one in 13 individuals in the United States have asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Asthma cannot be cured but it can be treated. Individuals with asthma often carry quick-relief inhalers to use in case of an attack.
The inhalers contain medications known as bronchodilators. They relax the muscles in the lungs and widen the airways.
People with asthma are often also prescribed long-term control medications, such as Inhaled corticosteroids or
Health practitioners sometimes prescribe oral corticosteroids for asthma flare-ups to reduce inflammation in the airways. However, oral corticosteroids cause
Of Americans who have asthma, between 5% to 10% have severe or difficult-to-control asthma, according to the American Lung Association.
Doctors say some people with difficult-to-control asthma may not be using their inhalers correctly or using them as often as recommended.
A study led by researchers at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences looked at the use of a technological device that measures acoustic or sound-wave signals from the inhaler to objectively…
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