People with chronic lung disease may benefit from combination therapy

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Combination therapy can reduce exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a clinical trial.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with progressive destruction of lung tissue, which leads to breathlessness and increasing disability. The condition is marked by attacks called exacerbations which may result in hospital admissions, as the symptoms worsen. Exacerbations tend to get worse as the disease progresses.

Now researchers in Frankfurt, Germany, report that combination therapy can reduce exacerbations in COPD. They treated a group of 487 patients with moderate to severe COPD with salmeterol, which is a long-acting bronchodilator. Another 507 received fluticasone propionate, an inhaled corticosteroid, in addition. The study lasted for 44 weeks. In the combination therapy group, 324 patients experienced moderate to severe exacerbations, compared to 464 in the control group. Although the results are promising, inhaled corticosteroids are linked with potentially serious side effects. So it may be that combination therapy should be restricted to those COPD patients most at risk of exacerbations.

Source
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine January 2007

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