Add asthma to the growing list of diseases that may be helped by CPAP. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that CPAP machines could indeed become an alternative treatment for those with asthma.
No less than The American Lung Association has launched a national study to explore the question. The study is reportedly looking for nonsmokers with asthma who are willing to try CPAP machines for four months to see if their symptoms improve, and if so by how much. Those who enroll must be between the ages of 15 and 60.
“If CPAP is found to be effective, this will introduce an entirely new way to treat asthma without medication,” said Dr. Robert Wise, director of the American Lung Association’s 18 research centers across the country.
The study hopes to enroll 192 people in the study. According to reporter Diane Suchetka, many people with asthma are eager to stop taking medication because of its high cost, inconvenience, and long-term side effects, such as cataracts.
Those who wish to inform patients about the study can point them to tinyurl.com/asthmaandcpap. The potential for CPAP is huge in the asthma realm, considering that 26 million Americans have asthma.
Of those, about 7 million are children, according to American Lung Association. The disease is responsible for almost 11 million doctor visits and 440,000 hospital visits a year.
Source: American Lung Association
