2000 Durango physician Gus Hallin reviews the Physicians Desk Reference , which identifies drugs that can cause respiratory problems, in his office in Durango. By Bob Weinhold Special to the Herald More than 300 therapeutic substances are known to trigger respiratory problems, and 20 to 30 new substances are being added to the list each year, European researchers reported recently. He reported the findings in late August to attendees at the World Congress on Lung Health and Respiratory Diseases in Florence, Italy.
Medicine is always a balancing act.
There are still large gaps in what we can do that people forget about. One of the things we can t do right now is offer the perfect drug without side effects. Concern about respiratory side effects may be particularly warranted in the inland West, where the death rate from one significant group of lung problems chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is much higher than elsewhere in the country, according to an article in the August issue of Environmental Health Perspectives . That leaves a dozen or more candidates, including drug side effects. After long-term use, up to 15 percent of patients develop lung scar tissue, Hallin said.