Efficacy of tiotropium in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

摘要

decline in FEV_1 (-51 +- 4 ml/year in the abstract, 52 +- 4 ml/year in Table 2 in the paper) and ex-smokers showed the slowest rate of decline in FEVj (23 +- 2 ml/year). No differences in the rate of decline in FEV_1 were seen between tiotropium and placebo. Significant improvements in FEV_1, FVC and slow vital capacity (SVC) were seen throughout the trial within each of the three smoking behavior categories. The improvements in the current smokers were numerically larger than in former or intermittent smokers.Tiotropium was associated with a reduced risk of a first exacerbation in current (by 19%) and in ex-smokers (by 14%), with more or less similar reductions in the number of hospital admissions. Tiotropium was also associated with a tendency towards reduced exacerbation frequency irrespective of smoking status. Tiotropium was associated with improved quality of life scores, albeit not in intermittent smokers, with the effects being largest in current smokers.