COPD Treatment with Corticosteroid Inhalers Offers Limited Help

A new study, published in the February 2010 issue of the journal Chest, suggests that the benefits of using inhaled corticosteroid medications in the prevention of COPD attacks may have been “overstated,” offering only a modest reduction in the number of exacerbations experienced by patients with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Commonly prescribed to treat asthma and COPD, inhaled corticosteroids have previously been linked to an increased risk of pneumonia. Researchers from the recent study conclude that the role of the drugs in the treatment of the chronic disease needs further review, since there are serious risks associated.

In the study, Dr. Ritesh Agarwal and other researchers at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in India looked at 11 studies from 1998 to 2008 that compared inhaled corticosteroids with placebos in more than 8,000 patients with COPD.

“I think the study is important and shows that the benefits of addition of inhaled corticosteroids to long-acting beta agonist formulations are only minimal compared to significant risks of pneumonia,” said Dr. Sonal Singh, an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University.

COPD is a progressive disease that destroys the lungs over time, and often encompasses chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The disease is usually caused by long-term cigarette smoking or exposure to lung irritants such as pollution or chemicals. Patients with COPD can experience sudden exacerbations, or attacks, with worsened symptoms of wheezing, coughs producing mucus, and shortness of breath.

There is no known cure for COPD, and therapeutic options are limited. Many treatment options have significant cardiovascular and respiratory risks.

Usually a combination of medications is used in the treatment of COPD to prevent attacks. Inhaled corticosteroids are sometimes prescribed along with long-acting beta agonists (such as Serevent and Brovana), short-acting beta agonists (such as ProAir HFA), and anticholinergics (Spiriva).

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