[High dose steroid inhalation therapy using a large spacer: laboratory and clinical study on usefulness of the 4-puffs/inhalation method].
We investigated whether or not the inhalation method of beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) influences patient compliance and the clinical effects of therapy in chronic bronchial asthma, together with a basic study on the lung deposition of BDP using a twin Impinger when various numbers of puffs were discharged into three different spacers (Volumatic, InspirEase, Aerochamber). It was clearly shown that only the spacer, Volumatic maintained a high deposition rate of BDP in the lung model with a dose of 4-puffs/inhalation. Eighteen chronic asthmatic patients were studied. The patients inhaled BDP (800-1600 micrograms/day) by 1-puff/inhalation using a large spacer, Volumatic, for 12 weeks, and they then inhaled the same dose of BDP as given in the previous period by 4-puffs/inhalation using the spacer for 16 weeks. We compared the compliance of BDP, attack score, %PEFR and frequency of beta-agonist inhalation between these two periods. The compliance of BDP was markedly improved after changing from 1-puff/inhalation (92.8%) to 4-puffs/inhalation (99.8%). In the 4-puffs/inhalation period, attack score and %PEFR were significantly improved as compared to the 1-puff/inhalation period. The frequency of beta-agonist inhalation use in the 4-puffs/inhalation period was significantly lower than that in the 1-puff/inhalation period. These results indicate that when high dose steroid inhalation is given with a large spacer in chronic asthmatic patients, we should advice them of the appropriate inhalation method in order to obtain good compliance and clinical effects.
Yamagishi
M
M
Department of Internal Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Japan.
Tanaka
H
H
Yokogawa
K
K
Sugaya
F
F
Honma
S
S
Honma
A
A
Shijubo
N
N
Abe
S
S
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001507:Beclomethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012138:Respiratory Therapy / Q000379:methods*
D001507:Beclomethasone