Frequent reliever inhaler use linked to heart problems

iStock/Stephane Bureau du Colombier

By Olivia Bowthorpe

Frequent use of short-acting reliever inhalers has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems and death in people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to research.

The findings add a new potential concern to the existing UK effort to reduce overreliance on short-acting relievers.

The study, published in ERJ Open Research, found that people who collected higher numbers of short-acting bronchodilator inhalers were more likely to develop conditions including heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms, and to die, during follow-up.

Lead author Lies Lahousse, associate professor at Ghent University, Belgium, told Doctors.net.uk: "Using three or more canisters of short-acting bronchodilators per year is common among adult patients with asthma and COPD. This level of use should be seen as an important warning signal, warranting closer monitoring and a reassessment of disease management, also among patients without a prior cardiovascular history."

The team analysed health data from 283,760 adults in Belgium, including 226,314 with asthma and 57,446 with COPD, followed for an average of three years. Use of short-acting beta2-agonists (SABAs), such as salbutamol, and short-acting muscarinic antagonists (SAMAs), such as ipratropium, was recorded.