[The place of long-acting beta 2 adrenergic agonists in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)].

At the introduction of long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonists physicians were reluctant to prescribe them for prolonged use, as they might increase mortality due to asthma. In national and international guidelines beta 2-agonists are reserved for moderate to severe asthma. Well-controlled studies have shown, however, that long-acting beta 2-agonists are effective bronchodilators, able to improve symptoms and lung function and to decrease the number of exacerbations. As long as these bronchodilators are combined with inhaled steroids, they may be beneficial in early stages of asthma of low severity. In the treatment of COPD the place of long-acting beta 2-agonists is not clear yet. First experiences show, however, that these drugs deserve a place in the treatment of COPD, notably against nocturnal dyspnoea. Use of long-acting beta 2-agonists is often associated with clear improvement in quality of life and walking distance of COPD patients, which does not appear to be accompanied by distinct improvement in pulmonary function (FEV1), however.