Do Asthma Drugs Worsen Some Diseases?

Drugs called beta-agonists — used in certain inhaled asthma drugs — might alter the immune system, U.S. researchers said Friday.

A study done at Wake Forest University School of Medicine showed that the drugs, as well as similar chemicals produced naturally in the body, may worsen diseases such as asthma, heart failure and lupus that involve inflammation.

Inhaled beta-agonists are very effective in opening up airways and allowing asthmatics to breathe, but their ability to address the underlying inflammation that causes most asthma has been debated for years, said researcher Raymond Penn, an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Center for Human Genomics.

The study found that beta-agonists appear to increase the accumulation of type 2 T cells, a type of white blood cell that participates in immune system defense mechanisms.

In diseases like asthma and lupus, an over-reactive type 2 T cell response occurs and is thought to be a contributing factor in the disease.

The researchers said they were surprised to find that the drugs promoted a preferential accumulation of type 2 T cells.

Although further research is needed to confirm that these findings occur in the human body, our research points to an important means by which the immune system is regulated by both therapies and the hormonal system, Penn said. From an asthma management standpoint, these studies further emphasize the need to include anti-inflammatory corticosteroids when treating moderate to severe asthma.