Efficacy of high-dose beclomethasone in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

To study the role of inhaled steroids in treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 1.6 mg of beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) were given for 2 weeks after 0.5 mg/kg of oral prednisolone (PSL) for 2 weeks to 43 patients with COPD (mean age 68.7 +/- 5.2 years, mean baseline FEV1, 1.13 +/- 0.44 L). When responders to a corticosteroid (PSL or BDP) were defined as those with a post-steroid EFV1/baseline FEV1 > or = 115% and a post-steroid FEV1-baseline FEV1 > or = 0.2 L, 12 out of 43 patients responded to 30 mg of PSL for 2 weeks and 13 responded to 1.6 mg of BDP for 2 weeks. We considered those 17 patients who responded to 2 weeks of PSL or 2 weeks of BDP or both, to be possible steroid responders, and they continued inhaling BDP for 4 more weeks. In 8 of these 17 patients (19%), FEV1 had increased by the end of the 6 weeks. Inhaled BDP was considered useful in treating some patients with COPD.