30. December 2008 01:39
Up to 150,000 people suffering from severe asthma in the UK could benefit from taking antifungal medication already available from pharmacists, new research has found.
University of Manchester scientists found that pills used to treat everyday fungal infections greatly improved symptoms of asthma in those patients that had an allergic reaction to one or more fungi.
The study, carried out at four hospitals in northwest England and published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine , is the first to show that antifungal therapy can improve the symptoms of those who suffer from severe asthma.
The researchers compared the oral antifungal drug itraconazole with a placebo over eight months and found that nearly 60% of patients taking the drug showed significant improvement in their symptoms.
"Only patients with a positive skin or blood test for fungal allergy were included in the study," said Professor David Denning, who is based at the University Hospital of South Manchester.
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