Patients with bronchial asthma frequently have a fall in arterial oxygen tension following bronchodilator treatment in spite of a reduction in airway resistance. Administration of 0.11 mM (40 mg) prednisolone in a single dose resulted in an improvement of both airway obstruction and hypoxaemia in chronic asthmatic patients. The arterial oxygen tension, alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference and venous admixture effect all showed a statistically significant improvement as did the dynamic lung volumes and specific airway conductance.
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