Clinical efficacy and safety of tiotropium bromide inhalant in the treatment of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable period

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of tiotropium bromide inhalant in the treatment of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at stable period. Methods A total of 80 elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at stable period in our hospital were selected as study subjects and were randomly divided into observation group (40 cases) and control group (40 cases). Both two groups were given conventional therapy including relieving asthma and resolving sputum, on the basis the control group was given ipratropium bromide aerosol treatment, the observation group was given tiotropium bromide dry powder inhalation treatment, with the treatment course of 3 months. Compared the improvement of lung function and the incidence of adverse reactions of the two groups. Results There were no statistically significant differences in the indexes of pulmonary function between the two groups before treatment (P<0.05); after treatment, the indexes of pulmonary function in the observation group were significantly improved, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and FEV1% (FEV1 predicted) significantly increased compared with the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 92.5% in the observation group and 55.0% in the control group, with statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). One case of mild dry mouth occurred in the observation group and the control group, respectively, which relieved after oral care. Conclusion Tiotropium bromide powder inhalant can effectively improve lung function in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at stable stage, is safe and reliable, and should be widely applied. Key words: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Tiotropium; Efficacy; Safety