Hamburg, December 30: Air pollution, long known for its effects in aggravating inflammation in asthmatic patients, reduces the effectiveness of rescue inhalers, a new study finds.
According to the study published in Chest, certain air pollutants lower the efficacy of inhalers used to provide quick relief for asthma symptoms.
Nitrogen dioxide and ozone lowers not only the efficacy of these medications but also the responsiveness of children to them.
A 10 parts-per-billion increase in the air levels of nitrogen dioxide is reported to reduce the efficacy of rescue inhalers by about 15 percent, the study found.
Despite the findings of this study, scientists claimed that inhaled steroids provide some protection against the effects of pollution.
——Agencies