Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of inhaled HFA beclomethasone on pulmonary function and symptoms in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by progressive airflow limitation and pulmonary inflammation. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have been shown to be effective in the reduction of the number of exacerbations and the rate of deterioration in health status in patients with more advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore current international guidelines recommend ICS for patients with severe COPD (FEV1 < 50%) with at least one exacerbation within the last year. ⋯ The symptom score of the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire significantly decreased from 55.12 to 47.77 units in the active period compared to the placebo period after the treatment with HFA beclomethasone. The present study shows that a short-term treatment with inhaled steroid beclomethasone in fine particle HFA formulation decreases the hyperinflation and improves the PEF and the COPD symptoms.