New possibilities to control acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

The study was aimed at evaluating efficacy of inhaled combination of hypertonic saline solution and hyaluronic acid in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods. Male patients with COPD (n = 99) were involved in the study. Of them, 50 patients were treated with the standard therapy including bronchodilators and mucolytics and 49 patients were treated with bronchodilators and the inhaled combination of 7% hypertonic saline solution and 0.1% solution of hyaluronic acid via a nebulizer, 5 ml b.i.d. during 5 days. Both groups were additionally divided into B, C, and D categories according to severity of symptoms and a rate of exacerbations. The patients were followed-up for 6 months. Clinical and functional parameters including number of exacerbations of COPD and number of hospitalizations were analyzed. Results. Treatment with the inhaled combination of hypertonic saline solution and hyaluronic acid allowed decrease in number of exacerbations of COPD and number of hospitalizations due to exacerbations. Conclusion. The inhaled combination of hypertonic saline solution and hyaluronic acid allowed better control of COPD and could substitute therapeutic bronchoscopy. The combination is well tolerated, has acceptable safety profile without serious adverse events and is convenient to use.