title: Importance of drug delivery system in steroid aerosol therapy via nebulizer.
abstract: Aim of our study was to evaluate if the type of nebulizer can influence the effects of steroid aerosol therapy. We considered 27 asthmatics allergic to grasses with FEV1<80% of the predictive value or methacholine PD20 FEV1<750 mcg. The patients were divided into three groups in relation to the type of nebulizer they used and treated 9 weeks by aerosol therapy with beclomethasone dipropionate bid (800 mcg). Respect to the values recorded at the beginning and at the end of the therapy we found different variations of spirometric indeces and PD20 values among the three groups. We can conclude that the type of nebulizer influences steroid aerosol therapy and, particularly, jet nebulizers seem more efficient than ultrasonic nebulizers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. eterzano@tin.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Terzano
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Allegra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000420:Albuterol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000818:Animals; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001507:Beclomethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers / Q000145:classification*; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; D013147:Spirometry
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D001993:Bronchodilator Agents; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D001507:Beclomethasone; D000420:Albuterol