title: Four-week nebulized beclomethasone dipropionate in stable COPD patients with exertional dyspnoea.
abstract: Twenty male outpatients with severe-but-stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease handicapped by exertional dyspnoea (aged 69.7 +/- 5.68 yrs; forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 1.02 +/- 0.18 L or 34.6 +/- 6.5% of the predicted value; forced vital capacity (FVC) 2.51 +/- 0.34 L; arterial oxygen tension (Pa,O2) 9.11 +/- 0.32 kPa (68.5 +/- 2.4 mmHg); arterial carbon dioxide tension (Pa,CO2) 5.20 +/- 0.23 kPa (39.1 +/- 1.7 mmHg)) completed a randomized double-blind crossover study to evaluate the effects of a 4-week regular treatment with inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate via nebulizers at a dosage of 2 mg twice daily. After active and placebo treatment, no peak expiratory flow rate variation in FEV1, FVC, rescue use of beta 2-agonists, exercise tolerance and dyspnoea was observed. In conclusion, a regular short-term treatment with nebulized beclomethasone dipropionate does not give any improvement in lung function or exercise capacity in severe-but-stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients handicapped by exertional dyspnoea.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Pneumology, L. Armanni Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera Trentina, Arco di Trento, Italy.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Melani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Gregorio
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000336:Aerosols; D000368:Aged; D001507:Beclomethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D005082:Physical Exertion; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D001507:Beclomethasone