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Evidence summaries

Short-Acting Beta2-Agonists for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Inhaled short-acting beta2-agonists appear to be effective in most but not all patients with moderate to severe COPD. Level of evidence: "B"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 13 studies. Both FEV1 and FVC increased slightly after administration of a beta2-agonist. Two studies demonstrated a large increase in walking distance while one did not. Both morning and evening peak flow rates were higher than during placebo. A significant improvement in the breathlessness score was observed. Cough was reported to improve significantly.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by imprecise results (few patients and wide confidence intervals). Most of the studies had small sample size and some used very short-acting, outdated compounds.

    References

    • Sestini P, Renzoni E, Robinson S, Poole P, Ram FS. Short-acting beta 2 agonists for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2002;(4):CD001495. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords