Abstract
For patients receiving prescriptions of inhaled steroids, gargling after completing inhalation is necessary to prevent adverse drug reactions, including oral problems (stomatitis caused by oral candidiasis, hoarseness, and pharyngolaryngeal irritation). However, it has been reported that many patients experience oral problems despite gargling considered to be appropriate after inhalation. A possible cause of these problems is dry mouth, which is one of the adverse drug reactions to anti-allergic drugs and leukotriene receptor antagonists frequently administered concomitantly. This study evaluated the relationship between the onset of oral problems and salivary secretion. In 531 patients receiving treatment for asthma, we conducted a questionnaire survey, measured salivary secretion, and examined prognostic factors for the onset of oral problems using simple and multiple regression analyses. The results revealed significant prognostic factors before adjustment to be the number of concomitant drugs other than anti-asthma drugs and decreased salivary secretion. Furthermore, independent significant prognostic factors after adjustment were age and decreased salivary secretion.
These results suggested that oral care focusing on improvement of dry mouth and thorough instructions to younger patients would be effective for the prevention of oral problems. Based on the verification results obtained in this study, re-establishment of the current instructions for inhalation is considered to be necessary to support better treatment for asthma in the future.
