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Heavy use of asthma drug raises risk of death, study finds
People who overuse a common kind of inhaled drug to relieve asthma attacks. face a greatly increased risk of death; a study concludes.
The researchers do not know whether the drop, ca1led beta agonists, are themselves to blame. But they said asthmatics nearly triple their chance of death with each canister of the spray they use per month, .
The risk varies depending on the specific kirid of beta agonist taken, the researchers reported in today's issue of The New England Joumal of Medicine. Beta agonist have long been the primary drug used to treat. asthma, but some doctors are now recommending that other drugs be used first and beta agonists reserved as a backup to relieve acute attacks.
, "If a patient is ,using more than one canister of beta agonist a month they are using too much, and their asthma needs to be evaluated," said. Dr, A. Sonia Buist, of the Oregon Healtll Sciences ,University, coauthor of the study.
The fmdings were, based on insurance records from Saskatchewan, Canada. The study was financed by Boihringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, a Gennan drug company. The researchers reviewead the records of 129 people who had fatal or nearly fatal asthma attacks and 'compared them with 655 asthmatics "who had never had life-threatening attacks.
The risk of death increased fivefold with each canister of fenoterol, a double-strength variety of beta agonist made by Boihringer Ingelheim. It is not available in the United States,
The risk of death about doubled with each canister per month of another variety of beta agonist, called albuterol, which is widely used in the United States and sold under such brands as Preventil and Ventolin. .
Researchers' suspect that beta agonists might somehow make the air passages in the lungs grow more irritable over time, so they overreaet to irritants that trigger attacks.

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