Dear Smile E.
A recent social media influencer claims that albuterol and other bronchodilators increase bacterial infections. Is there any truth to this?
Signed,
Concerned Parent
Dear Concerned Parent,
You can rest easy knowing that this is in fact not true in most cases. Albuterol and other bronchodilators help to relax and open the airways to prevent bronchspasms. These medications are extremely important in helping people with mucociliary clearance disorders like PCD clear their airways of thick sticky stuck mucus. They help to relax the airways and counter bronchspasms that may occur during airway clearance techniques or just the movement of the thick sticky stuck mucus itself. Opening the airways and relaxing them may introduce new bacteria or really move around bacteria laden mucus already in the airways. So it may seem like bronchodilators exacerbate your condition, but they are really helpful in allowing your airways to relax while they are being cleared. I’m not sure why the social media influencer is trying to get people to stop their bronchodilators, but this may be extremely dangerous for certain subsets of patients like asthmatics and others who have mucociliary clearance disorders like PCD.
My best advice would be to discuss this and all concerns related to your PCD loved one’s treatments and medications with their entire medical team. And as always, never stop, start, or change any medications or treatments prescribed without discussing it with the prescribing physician for the safety of you or your PCD loved one.
Yours Truly,
Smile E. Turtle
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