The study, recently published in the Lancet, involved 146 people who had recently suffered from mild covid symptoms.
Half of them were allowed to inhale asthma medication and these were checked against an equally large control group who were not prescribed the medication.
Those who received asthma medication sought medical care to a lesser extent and recovered faster than the control group, according to the study.
No definite conclusions
Magnus Gisslén, professor at the University of Gothenburg and chief physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, believes that the results should be interpreted with caution.
- It is a fairly small study, and it is not placebo-controlled, which of course is of interest because it can affect.
It is also relatively young people who have participated in the study, so it is difficult to draw generalizable conclusions, he says.
Before the treatment can be used on a large scale, Magnus Gisslén believes that a larger study that is controlled with placebo is required.
At the same time, he sees benefits, if it turns out that the treatment is effective.
- It is very good with drugs that can be given early, and this is a drug that is cheap and relatively harmless.
Developed in Sweden
The asthma medicine used in the study, Pulmicort, was developed in Sweden and contains cortisone, which reduces inflammation in the airways.
The background to the study is that asthma patients have been underrepresented among the seriously ill in covid-19, and the asthma medications have been pointed out as a possible cause for this.
There are various theories as to why the drug could have an effect on coronavirus infection.
- One is that it could be an advantage that the inflammation in the airways is reduced, the other is that the receptors that virus binds to the cells in the airways can be thought to be reduced by inhaling cortisone, says Magnus Gisslén.