[Response to inhaled bronchodilators in chronic airway obstruction].

OBJECTIVE

To assess the proportion of patients with chronic limited airflow who obtain a meaningful bronchodilatory effect from the betaadrenergic agonist salbutamol and the anticholinergic agent ipratropiumbromide.

PATIENTS

198 patients with varying degrees of airflow limitation. The state of all patients was stable.

METHODS

Spirometry was recorded before inhalation, and ten, 20 and 30 minutes after inhalation of 0.2 mg salbutamol or 0.04 mg ipratropiumbromide.

RESULTS

FVC increased by 0.5 litres or more in 77 patients with salbutamol and in 104 patients with ipratropiumbromide. FEV1 increased by 0.3 litres or more in 76 patients with salbutamol and in 95 patients with ipratropiumbromide. In 77 patients, neither of the drugs caused this improvement in FEV1.

CONCLUSION

In patients with chronic limitation of airflow use of inhaled bronchodilators should be based on the proven clinically significant effect of the drug in question.