Drugs For Airway Diseases Research Articles

Drugs for airway disease

Two types of drug are used in the treatment of airway disease. • Relievers (bronchodilators) give immediate reversal of airway obstruction, largely by relaxing airway smooth muscle. • Controllers (preventers) suppress the underlying disease process and provide long-term control of symptoms. These drugs include anti-inflammatory treatments (Figure 1). Both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are characterized by airway narrowing secondary to a chronic inflammatory process. In asthma, eosinophilic inflammation occurs throughout the respiratory tract. In COPD, there is neutrophilic inflammation in the peripheral airways (chronic obstructive bronchiolitis) and proteolytic destruction of lung parenchyma (emphysema), resulting in loss of support for the airways and early closure on expiration. Bronchodilators cause immediate reversal of airway obstruction through an effect on airway smooth muscle. Other pharmacological effects on airway cells (reduced microvascular leakage, reduced release of bronchoconstrictor mediators from inflammatory cells) may contribute to the reduction in airway narrowing.