Mayo Clinic: Taking aspirin for asthma can cause coughing, wheezing

Taking aspirin can cause breathing problems in people with asthma and sinusitis. Dr. Angela Donaldson, an otolaryngologist at the Mayo Clinic, one of the world's largest private medical and research centers, spoke about this.

The doctor's respective expert opinion is posted on the Mayo Clinic website.

Donaldson noted that bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, which during exacerbation is manifested by attacks of shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. In severe cases, respiratory failure can be life-threatening.

According to Donaldson, taking aspirin can worsen asthma symptoms, causing coughing and wheezing. Also, this drug can cause exacerbation of sinusitis—inflammation of the mucous membrane of one or more paranasal sinuses. The thing is that aspirin can provoke the formation of polyps in the nose, thereby making it difficult to breathe through the nose.

The doctor warned also that people with asthma and sinusitis should use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen with caution. Aspirin and NSAIDs can be found in a wide variety of cold and other medications. For this reason, people with respiratory diseases should read the labels carefully when buying medicines.

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