Q: I am a 31 years old man, suffering from asthma. I an using a salbutamol inhaler three to four times in a day, which gives me temporary relief. I want to know if there can be any side effects of an inhaler on my heart or other part of the body, also can asthma be cured completely?

A:The first step is to confirm that you do have asthma. Once the diagnosis has been established with certainty then additional therapy should be prescribed usually in the form of a steroid inhaler and other oral medications which can supplement the salbutamol inhaler. These include medications which belong to the leukotriene inhibitor class. Your doctor, however, should decide on the use of these medications. Please note that proper technique in the use of the inhalers is critical otherwise drug delivery to the lungs is inadequate and therefore the response to the medications less than optimal. Again, your doctor should be able to show you how to use the inhalers correctly. Please note that a patient with well controlled asthma should feel completely well. With regard to whether asthma can be cured - the answer is no. However, the severity of the asthma may decrease with time. Regular use of the medications will not affect your heart.