title: [Spa and climate therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases].
abstract: The authors remind the main epidemiological and clinical findings of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); the prevalence and incidence of COPD is increasing and COPD is now the IV cause of death in the world. Moreover, it is cause of increasing pharmaceutic and hospital charges. COPD has multifactorial etiology, linked to genetic and exogenous factors, as tobacco smoke, air pollution, microbial infections and cold. The GOLD guide lines of the medical therapy of the COPD are showed. The spa therapy of COPD is based on the inhalation use of mineral water, mainly sulphurous and salsojodic. Sulphurous mineral waters have vasodilating activity on vessels of bronchial mucose, improving its trophic state, and increase the production of secretory IgA and muco-ciliary clearance; they have fluidificant activity on bronchial secretion. Clinical trials showed improvement of cough, sputum and functional indexes as FEV1 and CV. Salsojodic mineral waters increase the fluidity of the bronchial mucus, muco-ciliary clearance and the trophism of the bronchial mucose. The authors remind the properties of sulphate and bicarbonate mineral waters in the spa therapy of COPD. Finally authors refer about some effects of spa therapy and climatic-environmental situations on COPD morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Clinica e Terapia Medica Applicata, UOC di Terapia Medica e Medicina Termale, Scuola di specializzazione in Idrologia Medica, Università La Sapienza di Roma.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Petraccia
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Masciullo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lucchetta
authors.forename: V I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Valenzi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Avino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraioli
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D001452:Balneology / Q000379:methods*; D002980:Climate; D006801:Humans; D008900:Mineral Waters / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D008900:Mineral Waters