title: [Dyspnea in chronic bronchitis patients. A method for diagnosis and monitoring therapeutic efficacy].
abstract: The mechanisms of exercise-induced dyspnoea in chronic obstructive bronchitis are diverse and complex. Dyspnoea develops simultaneously with ventilatory obstruction and constitutes a major symptom in view of its frequency, prognostic value and functional repercussions. It is not the most common reason for seeking medical advice, but because ventilatory obstruction is of poor prognosis it should be systematically looked for by precise, directed questioning in all patients with chronic bronchitis. In some cases, the effects of drugs on dyspnoea can be evaluated by means of a clinical score, but such an evaluation requires a strictly controlled double-blind trial with separate assessments by the clinician and the patient. The effectiveness of almitrine bismesylate on exercise-induced dyspnoea in chronic bronchitis has been demonstrated by this method. A multicentre, drug versus placebo controlled trial conducted on 200 patients during 6 months has shown that almitrine bismesylate significantly lowered dyspnoea scores measured according to the Sadoul scale and that the symptomatic improvement observed correlated with the effects of the drug on blood gases. By promoting tissue oxygenation, almitrine bismesylate may antagonize one or several of the mechanisms underlying exercise-induced dyspnoea in chronic bronchitis patients who have reached the stage of respiratory failure.
mesh_terms: D015765:Almitrine; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D010879:Piperazines; D015765:Almitrine
vernacular_title: La dyspnée chez le bronchitique chronique. Un moyen de diagnostic et de surveillance de l'efficacité thérapeutique.