Mannitol improves lung function

Adding inhaled dry powder mannitol to standard therapy for cystic fibrosis improved lung function for up to 52 weeks, according to a new study.

The treatment is easy to administer and has a good safety profile, which may improve adherence with therapy in patients.

Professor Laura Aitken, lead author of the study, stated: "In our patients with cystic fibrosis, treatment with inhaled mannitol resulted in sustained improvements in lung function over 12 months, with a favourable safety profile." concluded Dr. Aitken.

Mannitol is also thought to improve the therapeutic effectiveness of human umbilical cord blood cell treatment for cerebral palsy.

In an animal study, mannitol was found to open the blood-brain barrier by temporarily shrinking the tight endothelial cells that form the barrier.

Mannitol may offer therapeutic benefits to those suffering from cerebral palsy if the blood cells can get past the blood-brain barrier to the site of injury, according to researchers.

Find the nearest Barchester care home.