ASTHMA DRUG CAN BE FATAL

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 20, 1992                   TAG: 9202200106
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON                                LENGTH: Short
ASTHMA DRUG CAN BE FATAL
People who overuse a common kind of inhaled drug used to relieve asthma attacks face a greatly increased risk of death, a study concludes.
The researchers don't know whether the drugs, called beta agonists, are themselves to blame. But they said asthmatics nearly triple their chance of death with each canister of the spray they use each month.
The risk varies, depending on the specific kind of beta agonist taken.
Beta agonists 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.
The researchers said they believe that occasional use is probably safe, but heavy, long-term reliance is a substantial health risk. Some people use them many times a day, far exceeding recommended amounts.
"The paper has a very straightforward message," Dr. A. Sonia Buist said. "If a patient is using more than one canister of beta agonist a month, they are using too much, and their asthma is probably out of control and needs to be evaluated."
Buist, a physician at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, was a co-author of the report, published in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
About 10 million Americans have asthma, and 5,000 die annually of the disease.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB