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Biaxin Asthma Treatment Information

Biaxin, a class of drugs known as macrolide antibiotics, treats bacterial infections in the body, especially in the skin and respiratory system. Biaxin may be used to treat symptoms of asthma in some people.

  1. Asthma & Infection

    • When an underlying bacterial infection tightens air passageways, asthmatics find it difficult to breathe. An antibiotic such as Biaxin, known to improve breathing may help in this case, by allowing the channels to dilate and let more air flow through them.

    Relationship

    • A bacterial infection may influence the onset of asthma in two ways: the infection may make asthma symptoms worse, or it may play a part in development of asthma. Biaxin may help treat both conditions.

    Research

    • According to research conducted at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, of 55 people with mild to moderate asthma, 31 showed signs of bacterial infection. After treatment with Biaxin for six weeks, all 31 showed significant improvement in lung function.

    Results

    • Based on the results, study author Richard Martin, MD contends that "antibiotics may become an important addition to the therapeutic options for some patients with asthma." Patients who had only asthma (and not an accompanying infection) did not show any signs of improvement.

    Diagnosis

    • Checking for bacterial infections in asthmatics requires tissue sample, an invasive procedure, and painful for the patient. Also, the diagnosis is difficult because only select centers can perform necessary tests.

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