As this new treatment for severe asthma becomes more readily available to the general public, I think it’s important that prospective patients arm themselves with as much information as they can about the procedure.
A physician by the name Steve Gupta, a board certified internist and an allergy immunology specialist practicing in Southern California, has some pretty strong opinions about the use of Bronchial Thermoplasty to treat severe asthma. And while I’m not exactly sure how he arrived at some of his conclusions, most of what he says makes total sense.
I’m particularity alarmed by the fact that severe asthmatics ( those with a baseline FEV1 of less than 60% as defined by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program [EPR3] )were excluded from participating in the clinical trials ( myself included). Seems to me you would want to study the effects on the group that you are targeting the treatment for.
Anyone considering having this procedure done should read Dr Gupta’s letter to the FDA.
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Good post, I can't say enough how important it is to just get as much knowledge as you can when considering new treatments.
Thanks Stephen for Dr. Gupta's letter. When I first heard about this treatment I had an instinctive fear of it. Maybe someday there will be more effective treatments for the more persistent and severe versions of asthma…until then, I think I'll hold off on the urge to have someone burn the insides of my already maladjusted airways.
I agree. Not all asthmatics have over-reactive smooth muscle in their airway. BT doesn't address the inflammatory component of asthma.
Very interesting stuff in there. I never knew about BT before.