Using long-acting beta2-agonists safely: What will be the impact of the US Food and Drug Administration's panel recommendations?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched an investigation into the safety of long-acting beta(2)-agonists (LABAs). While the impact of this investigation is yet to be seen, clinicians should be circumspect in the use of these agents and prescribe them according to the recommendations of current asthma guidelines, informing patients and their caretakers about potential risks. As clinical trials attempt to address the question of whether LABAs are safe for use in pediatric and adult populations, current data provide no clear answers.

Impact of asthma controller medications on clinical, economic, and patient-reported outcomes.

Objective: To comprehensively evaluate clinical, economic, and patient-reported outcomes associated with various therapeutic classes of asthma controller medications.

Patients And Methods: This observational study, which used administrative claims data from US commercial health plans, included patients with asthma aged 18 through 64 years who filled a prescription for at least 1 asthma controller medication from September 1, 2003, through August 31, 2005. Outcome metrics included the use of short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs), the use of oral corticosteroids, inpatient (INP)/emergency department (ED) visits, and asthma-related health care costs.

Is rhinosinusitis a cause of asthma?

There is a great deal of evidence of an association between rhinosinusitis and asthma. However, it is less clear whether rhinosinusitis is a direct trigger for asthma or the two conditions are simply manifestations of a common underlying process. Evidence for a role for rhinosinusitis as a trigger for asthma includes many examples of improvement in asthma once concomitant rhinosinusitis is treated medically or surgically.

The impact of allergic and nonallergic rhinitis on pediatric sinusitis.

There is a great deal of published evidence that there is a relationship between both allergic and nonallergic rhinitis and sinusitis in both pediatric and adult patients. The relationship between rhinitis and sinusitis may involve inflammation in one compartment leading to secondary inflammation in the other compartment, such as in the case of rhinitis leading to obstruction of the osteomeatal complex. The relationship may also involve individual manifestations of a shared process, such as allergic disease.

Rhinosinusitis and pediatric asthma.

Rhinosinusitis is a common disease in patients of all age groups. Rhinosinusitis arises from a variety of infectious and inflammatory mechanisms. There is ample evidence that rhinosinusitis can directly influence asthma.