Drug Free Asthma Treatment

The removal of muscle tissue in the overly active airways of those with asthma by exposing the tissue to heat can help relieve asthma.

The treatment, called bronchial thermoplasty, helps improve the control of moderate to sever persistent asthma, according to new research.

The smooth muscle fibers that surround the airways are what cause constriction of the airways in asthma. Bronchial thermoplasty is intended to reduce the smooth muscle activity by delivering heat to the walls of the airways. The prodedure is experimental and is given in a series of prodedures using a bronchoscope and a device at the end for generating the heat in a controlled manner.

Dr. Gerard Cox, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and his colleagues assessed the outcomes of over 100 asthma patients who were randomly given the bronchial thermoplasty procedure instead of standard asthma care.

The year-long trial, which compared 55 asthmatics treated with bronchial thermoplasty and 54 just on standard asthma medications, is the first study to test the procedure against standard therapy, according to Dr. John Miller, a thoracic surgeon at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton.

Patients in the group that received the thermoplasty had a significant drop in asthma flare ups. The patients who received standard asthma care, on the other hand, had no change in asthma symptoms.

The researcher's report is in this week's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

After 12 months, the thermoplasty group showed significantly greater improvements in lung function and quality of life when compared to the standard care group of patients. The group who received thermoplasty also had more days without any asthma symptoms compared to the other group and needed less medication.

Bronchial Thermoplasty patients are prone to experience a worsening of asthma symptoms immediately after the procedure, however. But this goes away over time.

While the treatment is promising, bronchial thermoplasty is not et considered to be ready for general use, according to Dr. Julian Solway, from the University of Chicago, and Dr. Charles G. Irvin, from the University of Vermont in Burlington.

"Because of the considerable effort involved (three separate bronchoscopic procedures, each with a small but significant risk of complications), notable adverse effects (in the short-term, at least), and likely expense, bronchial thermoplasty will probably need further refinements if it is to emerge as a widely applicable, practical treatment for moderate or severe asthma," they said.

The two doctors made their statement in an accompanying editorial.

Sources:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSFLE87903320070328
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=1cc1ba8c-2fb1-47f4-9ce8-26757ce21c13&k=27352