Iron fuels immune cells – and it could make asthma worse
The ConversationAPR 25 2024
Scientists Make First Asthma Attack Breakthrough in 50 Years
Above: School nurse Keri Personnete holds a child's inhaler in the nurse's office at the Barrington Early Learning Center in Barrington, Illinois. Image copyright: Stacey Wescott/Contributor/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The Facts
Researchers at King's College London have reportedly found a new way, a first in 50 years, to treat asthma attacks and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare-ups more effectively than steroid tablets, which they claim could be a "game-changer" for millions of patients.
The current asthma treatment protocol involves consuming steroid tablets. The potential breakthrough offers patients an injection of the antibody benralizumab, which targets specific white blood cells called eosinophils, to reduce lung inflammation.
The researchers say that Benralizumab reduces the need for further treatment of serious asthma and COPD attacks by nearly 30%. It's already used to manage severe asthma, but the new treatment involves its administration at the moment of a flare-up.
The Spin
Narrative A
Asthma patients finally have a groundbreaking lifeline: a treatment that outperforms the traditional one and reduces the need for further treatment by 30%. With fewer side effects than steroids, it offers improved symptoms, reduced hospital visits, and better quality of life. This innovation is a long-awaited one and provides transformative hope for millions.
Narrative B
Most asthma deaths are preventable. Despite clear recommendations, primary asthma care remains elusive to a large section of patients due to overstretched healthcare systems. This intolerable delay in implementing life-saving measures highlights a glaring failure to prioritize asthma care, leaving millions at risk and demanding urgent government action.
Metaculus Prediction
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