Chest
Clinical Investigations: COPD/AsthmaEffects of Theophylline Withdrawal in Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Section snippets
Patients
We stdied 39 patients aged 40 to 80 years. Diagnosis followed the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society.11 Patients were included on the basis of the following criteria: (1) history of prolonged cigarette smoking and gradual progression of dyspnea on exertion over many years; (2) no history of atopy; (3) stable clinical condition as judged by discharge from hospital being planned within the next week; (4) absence of other major medical problems such as congestive heart failure, liver
Patients
We studied 39 patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Randomization resulted in 18 patients being assigned to the placebo group and 21 being assigned to the theophylline group. One male patient in the theophylline group did not complete the study due to an acute exacerbation unrelated to the study. Mean age ± SD of the 38 patients who completed the study was 66.2±8.2 years, with no significant difference between groups. Two patients in the placebo group and one patient in the
Discussion
The present study demonstrates small but significant deteriorations in lung function, PaCO2, exercise performance, symptoms and auscultation, and two indices of overall dyspnea 2 days after theophylline therapy withdrawal. Analysis of individual data reveals clinically relevant deterioration after withdrawal of theophylline therapy in more than half of the patients.
Theophylline has been a first-line drug in the treatment of chronic obstructive airway disease for decades. In recent years, it has
Acknowledgment
This investigation was part of the doctoral thesis of R. E. Wegner.
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