title: [Anticholinergic drugs in the therapy of obstructive airway diseases].
abstract: The anticholinergic effects from botanical preparations of the deadly nightshade family have been used for hundreds of years for the treatment of obstructive airway diseases. Nowadays, derivatives of the plant alkaloids with quaternary ammonium structure, ipratropium bromide and tiotropium bromide, are used, which retain the bronchodilator properties of the parent compounds but are much safer since they are poorly absorbed across biologic membranes. They are the bronchodilators of choice in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, ipratropium is considered a second-line agent in the treatment of asthma as the bronchodilatory effects seen with ipratropium are less than those seen with beta-adrenergic drugs. Tiotropium is only approved for use in COPD. Though, a recent study provides some evidence that this agent may be an alternative to long-acting beta agonists as an add-on therapy to inhaled glucocorticoids for asthma.
authors.affiliation: Universität Bremen, Zentrum für Sozialpolitik, Mary-Somerville-Strasse 5, 28359 Bremen. rwindt@zes.uni-bremen.de
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Windt
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists