Anticholinergic drugs for the treatment of COPD are safe... are they?

摘要

COPD is increasingly recognized as a complex systemic disorder with a whole range of comorbidi-ties, especially cardiovascular, contributing significantly to COPD morbidity and mortality. Among the most frequently prescribed inhaled medications for this disorder are anticholinergic agents, such as short-acting ipratropium bromide, available for 20 years, and the long-acting drug tiotropium bromide, introduced in 2002, which has been shown to improve airflow, hyperinflation, exercise tolerance, exacerbations of COPD, and health-related quality of life with once-daily dosingin patients with COPD.