Health Update: Aspirin and asthma

ASPIRIN and other non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can trigger severe asthma in up to 20 per cent of adult sufferers, according to a report in The British Journal of Anaesthesia. Aspirin-induced allergy can start with sneezing and a runny nose, persistent catarrh and small growths in the nose, developing over subsequent months. The attacks can vary from acute tightness of the chest and wheezing, to respiratory arrest. Some NSAIDS are used in anaesthesia, which could cause problems for the one in 19 asthmatics who need surgery.