Short-term regular beta 2-adrenergic agonists treatment is safe in mild asthmatics taking low doses of inhaled steroids. Reduction of nocturnal asthma by an inhaled anticholinergic drug. Nebulized anticholinergic and sympathomimetic treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive airways disease in the emergency room. Asthma control during and after cessation of regular beta 2-agonist treatment. Oral montelukast treatment of preschool-aged children with acute asthma. Tolerance to the nonbronchodilator effects of inhaled beta 2-agonists in asthma. Inhaling beta(2)-agonist with heliox-driven in bronchial asthma. Management of acute asthma in children using metered dose inhaler and small volume nebulizer. Efficacy of chlorofluorocarbon-free beclomethasone dipropionate 400 micrograms day-1 delivered as an extrafine aerosol in adults with moderate asthma.
Regular treatment with beta 2-adrenergic agonists is controversial in bronchial asthma. To investigate whether beta 2-adrenergic agonists can be used safely if associated with low doses of inhaled steroids, for a short period, without a deterioration of asthma control, we have examined 24 mild asthmatics. In a parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 1 week of run-in and run-out period framed 3 weeks of treatment. All patients received inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP 250 micrograms t.i.d.); after 1 week, 12 patients inhaled 400 micrograms of broxaterol and 12 patients received placebo t.i.d. FVC, FEV1, PD20-FEV1 methacholine, morning and evening PEF, and PEF amplitude % mean were measured before, during, and after treatment. No significant changes were noted in patients receiving inhaled broxaterol. There were no differences in symptoms and the use of rescue medication (salbutamol spray). We conclude that short-term regular treatment with beta 2-adrenergic agonists is not associated with a deterioration in asthma control in mild asthmatics inhaling low doses of steroids. Although the mechanisms of nocturnal asthma are still uncertain, increased vagal cholinergic tone may be contributory factor. To examine this hypothesis, we have studied the effect of an anticholinergic drug, oxitropium bromide, on the early morning fall in peak expiratory flow (PEF) in patients with nocturnal asthma. Eighteen patients (aged 18 to 76 years; seven men) with documented nocturnal asthma were studied in a double-blind randomized cross-over study in which they received either oxitropium bromide (200 micrograms or 400 micrograms) or placebo in a single dose at night for two-week periods. With placebo the mean (+/- SE) fall in PEF (expressed as percentage of evening PEF) was 17.3 +/- 2.0 percent, which was significantly reduced to 10.3 +/- 3.3 percent after oxitropium (400 micrograms) (p less than 0.05; ANOVA). Closer analysis revealed that nine of the 18 patients had responded in a dose-dependent manner, with the mean percentage decreases with placebo, 200 micrograms, and 400 micrograms of oxitropium being 19.1 +/- 3.2, 11.5 +/- 4.4, and 5.0 +/- 4.5 percent, respectively (p less than 0.01 between each treatment). The remaining patients were unaffected by therapy. There were no differences between "responders" and "non-responders" in terms of age, atopic status, duration of asthma, severity of asthma, or bronchodilator response to albuterol (salbutamol). There were no differences in nocturnal symptoms between periods of treatment, and no side effects were recorded. We conclude that anticholinergic drugs may protect against nocturnal asthma in some patients, indicating the involvement of vagal cholinergic mechanisms. The effectiveness of nebulized anticholinergic and sympathomimetic regimens was evaluated in a double-blind study of 199 patients with acute airways obstruction. Patients were assigned to one of three treatment regimens according to a randomized schedule: 0.5 mg of ipratropium bromide, 1.25 mg of fenoterol hydrobromide, and 0.5 mg of ipratropium plus 1.25 mg of fenoterol. In 148 patients with acute exacerbations of asthma (mean one-second forced expiratory volume, 1.18 +/- 0.64 liters), all three regimens produced significant improvement in one-second forced expiratory volume (p less than 0.001). The greatest improvement followed treatment with the ipratropium-fenoterol combination (0.53 +/- 0.40 liters at 45 minutes; 0.57 +/- 0.51 liters at 90 minutes) and was significantly greater than that following either ipratropium alone (p less than 0.001) or fenoterol alone (p less than 0.05). In 51 patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (mean one-second forced expiratory volume, 0.67 +/- 0.29 liter), each regimen produced significant improvement in one-second forced expiratory volume at both 45 and 90 minutes (for all, p less than 0.05), but there was no significant difference among the three treatment regimens. It is concluded that, in patients with acute asthma, combination therapy with sympathomimetic and anticholinergic agents is more efficacious than either one alone. In patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, although either sympathomimetic or anticholinergic therapy provides bronchodilatation, no further benefit could be demonstrated from combination therapy. It has been suggested that regular treatment with high doses of beta 2-agonists might result in poorer control of asthma and increased bronchial responsiveness. We have examined change in FEV1 (delta FEV1), bronchial reactivity, peak expiratory flow (PEF), and symptoms during and after 3 wk of regular treatment with a relatively low dose of albuterol and broxaterol, a new beta 2-agonist. Eleven subjects 18 to 50 yr of age with mild asthma inhaled albuterol (200 micrograms), broxaterol (400 micrograms), or placebo three times a day for 3 wk with a 2- to 4-wk run-in/washout period between treatments. Ipratropium bromide was allowed for symptomatic relief. The PD20 (dose of histamine causing a 20% fall in FEV1) was measured before and 11, 35, and 59 h after cessation of treatment and a bronchodilator dose-response study before and 83 h after cessation of treatment. Change from baseline after albuterol and broxaterol are compared with change after placebo. Diurnal change in PEF (amplitude % mean) increased during treatment with albuterol by 6.5% (95% CI, 1.7-12.3; p < 0.02) mainly because of a fall in morning PEF. Cessation of treatment with both beta 2-agonists was associated with a fall in FEV1 and PD20 compared with placebo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Increased amounts of cysteinyl leukotrienes have been demonstrated in urine samples from asthmatic patients, particularly during exacerbations of asthma. Although the use of leukotriene receptor antagonists has been recommended in the treatment of chronic asthma, no guidelines are available regarding their use in the treatment of acute asthma.
                To investigate the safety and effectiveness of a 4-mg tablet of oral montelukast in addition to short-acting beta2-agonist bronchodilator as the initial treatment in mild to moderate asthma exacerbations in children between 2 and 5 years old.
                Fifty-one patients who were experiencing mild to moderate asthma exacerbation were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. Each patient received either a 4-mg tablet of montelukast or placebo in addition to inhaled salbutamol and were followed up for 4 hours. The pulmonary index score, respiratory rate, and pulse were determined at baseline and throughout 4 hours after administration.
                Compared with placebo, the pulmonary index scores and respiratory rates were significantly lower in the montelukast group starting at 90 minutes (P = .01). This difference persisted at 120, 180, and 240 minutes of the study (P = .008, P = .02, and P = .048, respectively). At the end of the first hour of treatment, oral steroid need was 20.8% and 38.5% in patients randomized to the montelukast and placebo groups, respectively (P = .22). Hospitalization rates were not different between the 2 treatment groups.
                A single 4-mg tablet of montelukast had the potential to provide additive clinical benefit in mild to moderate acute asthma in preschool-aged children when administered concomitantly with short-acting beta2-agonist bronchodilators as the initial treatment. Tolerance to the direct bronchodilator effects of beta 2-agonists does not appear to occur in asthma. However, it is not known whether this is true for the nonbronchodilator effects of these agents, which protect the airways against bronchoconstrictive stimuli.
                We investigated whether tolerance develops to the protective effect of inhaled terbutaline on airway responsiveness to the bronchoconstrictors methacholine (which acts directly on airway smooth muscle) and AMP (which acts indirectly by stimulating the release of mediators from mast cells) during sustained treatment with terbutaline. In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 12 patients with mild asthma each inhaled a single dose of terbutaline (500 micrograms) or placebo before a challenge with a series of doubling doses of inhaled methacholine or AMP, before and after treatment for seven days with 500 micrograms of terbutaline four times daily or placebo.
                Before the seven days of treatment with terbutaline, a single dose of terbutaline reduced airway responsiveness to methacholine by 2.7 doubling doses (95 percent confidence interval, 1.9 to 3.5), but it had an even greater protective effect against AMP, reducing airway responsiveness by 3.8 doubling doses (95 percent confidence interval, 2.7 to 4.9; P less than 0.001). After seven days of treatment with terbutaline, the protective effect of terbutaline against methacholine decreased to 2.2 doubling doses (95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 3.0; P = 0.04), and that against AMP decreased even more, to 1.7 doubling doses (95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.4; P less than 0.001). By contrast, the bronchodilator response to terbutaline was unchanged during seven days of treatment with this agent.
                We observed tolerance to the nonbronchodilator actions of the inhaled beta 2-agonist terbutaline in patients with mild asthma, an effect that may be more pronounced in mast cells than in bronchial smooth muscle. This property of beta-agonists may constitute a drawback to their regular use in patients with asthma. To evaluate the effectiveness of a helium-oxygen mixture (79%He- 21%O(2)) as an aerosolizing compressed gas for beta(2)-agonist therapy in patients with an asthma exacerbation.
                Twenty-four patients in the outpatient department with a mild to moderate exacerbation of asthma were enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into an experimental group (13 cases) and a control group (11 cases). The experimental group inhaled Berotec with heliox-driven, and the control group inhaled Berotec with compressed air-driven. Eight hospitalized patients in the respiratory department with severe exacerbation of asthma were enrolled. The patients inhaled Berotec with heliox-driven or compressed air-driven in a random order.
                The results of spirometric parameters and arterial blood-gas analysis were measured. In the mild to moderate asthma patients, no statistical differences between the two groups for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in one second (FEV(1)), and expiratory flow in 50% forced vital capacity (FEF(50)) were presented. But the severe patients showed significant differences between heliox-driven and compressed air-driven for FVC, FEV(1), FEF(50) and partial pressure of oxygen (PaO(2)).
                Compared with the traditional inhalation of beta(2)-agonist therapy using compressed air-driven, the method of inhaling beta(2)-agonist with heliox-driven has more obvious benefits for those suffering from severe asthma. This is likely due to the cooperative effects between inhaling heliox on its physical gas properties and improving delivery of beta(2)-agonist in the treatment of exacerbation of severe asthma. To determine whether the administration of beta2-agonist by Metered Dose inhaler (MDI) with accessory device (AD) is a as effective as the administration of beta2-agonist by small volume nebulizers (SVN) for the treatment of acute asthma.
                A cross sectional study was conducted at Emergency Room (ER) of National Institute of Child Health (NICH), Karachi, between October 2000 to March 2001. This study included 150 children, 6 months and older with a history of wheeze and presenting with an acute asthma exacerbation. Children were categorized into mild, moderate and severe asthma according to medical scoring system. Children were assigned randomly into group A and B to receive standard dose of beta2-agonist (salbutamol) by MDI/AD (group A) or SVN (group B). Baseline characteristics and asthma severity were recorded. All variables (dyspnoea, use of accessory muscles, cyanosis, respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, pulsus paradoxus, and wheeze) and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) in children 5 years and older, were determined at pre and post inhalation therapy.
                Both groups did not differ in demographic characteristics. There were no significant differences in outcome measures. In children treated with MDI/ADs and SVNs. PEFR increased significantly in both the groups after completion of treatment, but PEFR was not statistically significant when compared in between groups.
                The data suggested that MDI/AD is an effective alternative to nebulizer for the treatment of children with acute asthma exacerbation in the ER. Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) has been reformulated in a chlorofluorocarbon-free propellant, hydrofluoroalkane-134a (HFA), resulting in an extrafine aerosol which gives improved drug delivery to the airways. The objective of this 6 week, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of HFA-BDP 400 micrograms day-1 in 256 adult patients with moderate asthma. This is a lower daily dose than that recommended for existing BDP inhalers in current treatment guidelines for moderate asthma (NIH publication 95-3659). Another objective was to evaluate whether delivering the 400 micrograms dose as four actuations of 50 micrograms twice daily (HFA-BDP 50 micrograms) provided equivalent asthma control to delivering the dose as two actuations of 100 micrograms twice daily (HFA-BDP 100 micrograms) without the use of a spacer or holding chamber. Both active treatments produced a significant change from baseline in morning peak expiratory flow (PEF), which was significantly larger than that in the placebo group (P < or = 0.017) throughout the study. The mean changes from baseline in morning PEF at weeks 5-6 were 47.0 l min-1 in the combined HFA-BDP group and 16.5 l min-1 in the HFA-placebo group. The two dose strengths were statistically equivalent (P = 0.017 for equivalence testing). The active treatments also produced significant improvements compared with placebo in evening PEF, forced expiratory volume in the first second, forced expiratory flow over 25-75% of vital capacity, sleep disturbance scores and daily beta-agonist use. The study medication was well tolerated, with a low incidence of adverse events. The results from this study demonstrate that a daily dose of 400 micrograms HFA-BDP (given in 50 micrograms and 100 micrograms strengths) provides dose proportionality and effective control in patients with moderate asthma.
A single dose of an anticholinergic agent is not effective for the treatment of mild and moderate exacerbations and is insufficient for the treatment of severe exacerbations. Adding multiple doses of anticholinergics to beta2 agonists appears safe, improves lung function and would avoid hospital admission in 1 of 12 such treated patients. Although multiple doses should be preferred to single doses of anticholinergics, the available evidence only supports their use in school-aged children with severe asthma exacerbation. There is no conclusive evidence for using multiple doses of anticholinergics in children with mild or moderate exacerbations.