Frequent asthma attacks can harm lungs

Frequent and repeated attacks of asthma can be harmful for the functioning of lungs in the long run. Severe asthma exacerbations are periods of intense airway inflammation that have been hypothesised to contribute to structural changes in the airways. Its been seen that worsening of airway inflammation associated with asthma exacerbations can fuel potentially harmful structural changes in the airways that occur as asthma progresses. To assess the role of repeated asthma attacks on the progression of airway obstruction, researchers at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada studied 93 non-smoking asthmatics with moderate-to-severe disease symptoms prior to treatment with inhaled corticosteroids. These subjects were followed for a minimum of 5 years. The results showed that frequent asthma flares could impair lung function. During follow up, 56 patients (60.2 percent) experienced at least one severe asthma exacerbation - defined as being admitted to the hospital for worsening asthma or as a significant and reversible reduction in FEV1 (Forced expiratory volume in 1 second) - a standard measure of lung function. Moreover, decline in lung function was much more pronounced in those individuals with frequent asthma attacks relative to individuals with infrequent asthma attacks. Thus, the long-term impact of asthma attacks can be very severe for the functioning of lungs. It is important to prevent frequent exacerbations to avoid lung damage.