COPD: results of long-term treatment

During the last decades the life expectation of patients with COPD increased continually. Today the life expectation of these patients reach that of the normal general population. Most important for this effect is the improvement of the therapeutical possibilities. Following the experience over nearly 3 decades the treatment regime is described. Glucocorticosteroids are at first line as much as necessary and as less as possible, starting with the inhalative forms adjusted at the clinical course stabilizes the situation. Bronchodilatation around the clock and as good as possible is a further important step. These effects have to be functionally-analytically controlled. It is not enough to follow only the clinical impression. beta 2-sympathicomimetics are the overall dilators with strongest effects and increase even the clearing mechanisms of the bronchopulmonary system. Short- as long-acting medicaments are available, but the duration of the action at each of the different forms is sometimes clearly shorter as the mean values describe. Anticholinergics and theophyllines have weaker bronchodilatation power, but they show additive effects, which could be used at special situations. Combinations as Berodual (beta 2-sympathicomimetics and anticholinergics) can decrease the dosage of the beta 2-sympathicomimetics and therefore increase the therapeutic range. At the situation of exacerbation antibiotics can be very helpful, but sometimes an increase of the dosage of glucocorticosteroids is necessary and sometimes the increase of this dosage alone can control the situation. It is very important to detect the deterioration which can end with a severe life threatening exacerbation as early as possible and to control the situation already at this stage. It is shown at examples of 56 patients functionally-analytically controlled over 5 years that the function values do not deteriorate during the constant treatment regime any more. Even in spite of the constant treatment with beta 2-sympathicomimetics no signs of any kind of down regulation or of tachyphylaxis of the bronchodilatation power could be detected. A bronchodilatation test after 4.2 years of constant bronchodilatation treatment together with beta 2-sympathicomimetics showed at 25 patients the same effect as normally at acute tests without pre-treatment seen. Because after the start of this treatment regime to-day a further deterioration does not take place, it is important to detect signs of the disease as early as possible. This can be achieved as the basis of lung function values measure over a long time. The best basis for this is the individual norm known from measurement at healthy days.