Health
Expert Warns Asthma Patients Against Oral Salbutamol
By Safia Abdulrahman
Dr Emem Jay, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at M and M Fertility Centre, Abuja, has advised asthma patients against relying on oral salbutamol tablets, saying they are no longer recommended under guidelines.
Jay said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja that salbutamol relaxed the airways but was less effective than inhaled treatment options available.
According to him, the oral form could also produce more systemic effects, including tremors, palpitations and rapid heartbeat, without offering any advantage over inhaled treatment for asthma management and control.
“Oral salbutamol tends to produce more systemic beta-2 agonist effects, such as tremor, palpitations, and tachycardia, without providing an advantage over inhaled treatment,” he said.
He explained that modern asthma management has shifted away from treating the condition primarily with short-acting bronchodilators, medicines that open the airways in the lungs and improve breathing.
The consultant said asthma patients required appropriate inhaled corticosteroid (ICS)-containing treatment to control underlying inflammation rather than repeatedly using salbutamol to relieve airway narrowing and worsening symptoms effectively.
Jay said that the move away from oral beta-2 agonists was not recent but had evolved over decades as evidence showed inhaled formulations provided more effective bronchodilation with fewer systemic effects.
He cited the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) as the international reference for current asthma management, saying its guidelines did not recommend oral salbutamol because of increased adverse effects.
“GINA’s current strategy placed emphasis on ICS-containing inhaled treatment, including ICS-formoterol for appropriate patients,” he said, while highlighting the importance of evidence-based approaches in asthma management and patient care.
Jay advised people currently keeping or using salbutamol tablets at home not to panic or automatically discard them, but instead have their asthma treatment reviewed by a qualified doctor.
According to him, patients should have their diagnosis, symptom frequency, inhaler technique and need for ICS-containing treatment assessed by a healthcare professional to ensure effective asthma management outcomes.
He said salbutamol remained an important medicine, emphasising that the concern centred on the oral route and dependence on it instead of appropriate inhaled anti-inflammatory treatment for asthma.
Jay further said that oral salbutamol was registered and available in Nigeria, but its availability did not mean it remained the preferred modern treatment option for asthma patients.
He called for increased awareness among patients and healthcare providers on current asthma-management recommendations to ensure people living with the condition received appropriate, effective and evidence-based treatment nationwide.(NAN)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
