Abstrait

Bambuterol versus Montelukast in Patients with Chronic Asthma.

Ahmed M Ali

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways. This feature of asthma has implications for the diagnosis, management, and potential prevention of the disease. Although many drug classes are used for long-term control of asthma, the response is variable due to multifactorial reasons. This study was designed to evaluate the preventive effect of bambuterol or montelukast sodium in chronic asthmatics. Open-label clinical trial was utilized, in which 40 patients with moderate persistent asthma were randomized into two groups; the first group comprises 20 patients, treated with bambuterol (20 mg orally once daily) for 4 weeks and the second group comprises 20 patients, treated with montelukast sodium (l0mg orally once daily) for 4 weeks. Frequency of asthma symptoms (chest tightness, coughing and wheezing), pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and pulse oximetry (SpO2) were recorded at baseline and at the end point (after 4 weeks). The patients' use of asthma drugs and their symptoms were evaluated at each visit. Results showed that the symptoms of asthma, PFT values and SpO2 were significantly improved in the two groups at the end of the study compared to the first visit (p < 0.05). In conclusion, both bambuterol and montelukast sodium showed significant improvement in asthma symptoms, pulmonary function test values and pulse oximetry after 4-week therapy, however, bambuterol showed more significant improvement in PFT values compared to montelukast.