title: The new role of disodium cromoglycate in the treatment of adults with bronchial asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Viral infection of the respiratory tract in patients with asthma is one of the most frequent causes of exacerbation of asthmatic symptoms. Disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) is a commonly used anti-asthmatic medicine with many beneficial biochemical and physiological effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of DSCG against colds when used in clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire survey to determine the efficacy of DSCG was undertaken in 220 adult patients with asthma (81 male, 139 female; mean age: 54.1 +/- 13.7 years and 60.1 +/- 12.7 years, respectively) from April to September 2004 at the Miyatake Asthma Clinic.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The duration of DSCG inhalation therapy was not less than 5 years in more than half of the patients. The mean daily DSCG dose at the time of the questionnaire survey was 40mg/day in over 50% of all patients. After DSCG was added to inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) combination therapy, 56.4% of the patients rated their condition as "improved", and 66.4% of the patients felt that the frequency of colds they had caught had decreased while DSCG was added to ICS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DSCG inhalation therapy is a useful additional treatment following ICS to alleviate asthma symptoms, and to prevent colds in adult patients with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Miyatake Asthma Clinic, Osaka, Japan. akihiko@skyblue.ocn.ne.jp
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyatake
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: Kimie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamari
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Kazuya I P J
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Hidari
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D003139:Common Cold / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004205:Cromolyn Sodium / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D004205:Cromolyn Sodium