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Inhalers that help with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would be totally useless on people who experience these same symptoms from smoking. Unless they are also diagnosed with COPD.
The study could interest a large part of the French, partly smokers, who suffer from respiratory disorders. According to a team of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health, dual bronchodilators — long-acting inhalers that relax the airways and make breathing easier — have no effect on people who don’t have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD), but respiratory symptoms related to smoking. Yet to date, many smokers with breathing difficulties have been prescribed these inhalers, by default, it seems.
Treatment given in all cases
“We have long assumed that these drugs work in patients who do not meet lung function criteria for COPD, but we have never verified”said MeiLan K. Han, first author of the study in the lines of the New England Journal of Medicine. According to the latest measurements carried out on a panel of 535 adults experiencing the symptoms of PBCO (chronic cough, wheezing and shortness of breath) but not necessarily diagnosed as such, treatment with a bronchodilator did not give satisfactory results. “We now know that these existing drugs don’t work for these patients.” confirms, the author underlining the importance of the diagnosis upstream.
The importance of diagnosis
According to Han, these data demonstrate that the medical response is not necessarily the right one: in all cases, a diagnosis by spirometry and a pneumological consultation are necessary before any treatment, whether the patient presents signs of COPD, airway obstruction or has a history of smoking. Especially since smokers and people with COPD often share the same symptoms. “In the meantime, research should focus on finding new treatments for them.” explains Han. “The next question is, can we develop more targeted therapies for these patients?“
In France, COPD affects approximately 7.5% of the adult population, or 3.5 million people. But it is estimated that between two-thirds and 90% of people are undiagnosed. Smoking affects just over 3 out of 10 adults.