How Does Advair Work?

Introduction

According to the American Lung Association, more than 20 million Americans currently suffer from asthma, and nearly 5,000 people die from asthma-related causes every year. Asthma is a medical condition in which the airways become inflamed. As the airways swell, there is less room for air to travel, causing difficulty breathing and, in some cases, the inability to breathe at all. Many treatments are on the market for asthma. One of the most common treatment options is Advair.

Airway Inflammation

One of the first ways Advair works is by treating the inflammation of the airways. This is usually caused by an overzealous immune response reaction to allergens in the air. To treat this, Advair has a corticosteroid ingredient called fluticasone. Fluticasone works as an anti-inflammatory, which when inhaled relieves the inflammation. This widens the airways back to their original size.

Airway Constriction

Another way that Advair works is by relieving airway constriction. Airway constriction occurs when the muscles around the air tract between your mouth and your lungs tighten. When allergens and irritants enter an airway that is already inflamed due to an immune system response, the body becomes more sensitive to them.This causes the body to react by tightening the muscles in an effort to move the allergens down the airways and stop the irritation. However, this also closes off the airways even more. Advair has an ingredient called salmeterol. Salmetrol specifically works on the muscles around the airways and causes them to relax to restart the airflow.