Study: One-third use inhalers incorrectly

CHICAGO, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- One out of three patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease use their inhalers incorrectly, a German study found.

Study author Dr. Siegfried Wieshammer of Klinikum Offenburg, in Offenburg, Germany, found that 32 percent of patients made at least one essential error while using a dry powder inhaler, or DPI, and that the error rate increased with age and severity of airway obstruction.

Wieshammer and colleagues from the University of Heidelberg observed 224 patients with asthma, or COPD, using one of four common DPIs. In patients who had not received instruction, the error rate was 53 percent, while 23 percent of the trained patients made essential errors.

"The frequent misuse of dry powder inhalers can lead to the inappropriate dosage of medication, which can result in increased morbidity and mortality for patients," Wieshammer said in a statement. "Our results suggest that inhaler type, age, severity of lung obstruction, and prior training can determine the risk of inhalation errors."

The findings were presented at the 73rd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians in Chicago.