The number of people suffering from asthma has exploded since the 1970s and continues to grow every year. Although great advances in medicine and therapy have limited the incidence of asthma exacerbation, the disease remains poorly controlled in many. The most common reason? Patient noncompliance with therapy. The “why” of this problem takes on many forms, but among the most common is the incorrect use of inhaler devices. The most common asthma “pump” is the pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI), but its ubiquitous availability in the world of treatment devices has not ensured its correct use. Indeed, many patients fail to use it properly, even though they may reach for it several times per day over the course of many years. Despite many professionals prescribe pMDI and teach their patients how to use them, they may underestimate the difficulty associated with consistent and correct use. As a result, patients may not receive the correct dose of medication, which stymies their treatment and aggravates the disease.
Although the pMDI is the most commonly prescribed device for asthma treatment, it is not the only cure. Modern electronic inhalers such as mesh nebulizers are also easy to use, provide consistent dosage of medication, and ensure that adequate medicine reaches the central and peripheral airways where it is needed most. Additionally, they are designed in such a way that effective drug deposition occurs independent cheap prom dresses of air flow. Though an inhaler should only be prescribed when the practitioner is confident that the patient will use it correctly, many end users do not end up getting the treatment they need because of noncompliance with usage guidelines. Regularly checking inhalation technique is one way to bring respiratory diseases under control, while a more appropriate device may be a better solution to correct inhalation problems.
Reference: Lavorini. ISRN Allergy Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 102418, 17 pages
