ABC of COPD by Graeme P. Currie

Author:Graeme P. Currie
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2010-10-25T04:00:00+00:00

Theophylline

Theophylline is one of the oldest oral therapeutic agents available for the treatment of COPD (Figure 8.1). It shares a chemical structure similar to that of caffeine, which is also a bronchodilator in large amounts. Theophylline is a non-selective phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor which results in an increase in the level of intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in a variety of cell types and organs (including the lungs). Increases in cAMP levels are implicated in inhibitory effects upon inflammatory and immunomodulatory cells. One of the end results is that PDE inhibition causes relaxation of smooth muscle and dilatation of the airway. However, a number of other potentially beneficial mechanisms of action of theophylline in COPD have been suggested. These include

Figure 8.1 A variety of long-acting theophylline preparations are available and are usually given to patients in a twice-daily dosing regime.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.