title: Oral Fabrol (oral N-acetyl-cysteine) in chronic bronchitis.
abstract: Five hundred and twenty-six patients suffering from chronic bronchitis were randomized to receive either N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or placebo during a 6-month period. The aim was to compare the number of acute exacerbations in the two groups. General practitioners were asked to enter patients with a diagnosis of chronic bronchitis, based on the MRC criteria. We failed to find any statistically significant difference in the number of exacerbations between the two treatment groups although there was a slight trend towards improvement in the NAC group during the first 3 months of the trial. The tolerability was similar for both treatments. Patients taking NAC showed a reduction in number of days on which they were incapacitated and this result was statistically significant.
authors.affiliation: Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals, Horsham, West Sussex.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Parr
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huitson
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D000111:Acetylcysteine