Carbuterol, salbutamol and DSCG in exercise-induced asthma.

We decided in this work to evaluate the prophylactic value of carbuterol in exercise-induced asthma (EIA), comparing this drug to salbutamol and DSCG in order to describe its usefulness in exercise-induced asthma, while employing the closing-pressure method for the early detection of airway constriction. The study involved 44 bronchial asthmatics with prior histories of EIA. Only 10 patients had noticeable symptoms after exercise. All patients were asymptomatic and without any medication for at least one week prior to the commencement of the study. A continuous running treadmill was chosen for the exercise test, and a 10 minute time-period with a maximum heart rate of 180 beats/min. was the limit. Measurements of the FEV1, PEF and Raw were also done. Drug therapy was carried out by administering 10.5 mg of carbuterol, or 4 mg of salbutamol orally, 1.5 hours, before the exercise, or a 20 mg DSCG capsule, 30 minutes also prior to exercise. We concluded that: DSCG is the drug of choice in the control of EIA, while salbutamol results were somewhat less effective. Orally administered carbuterol did not provide any protection effect as expected. Raw measurements enter as a new parameter for consideration in this type of disease, being entirely compatible with FEV1 and PEF values during assessment.