Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1983 Nov;38(11):845–848. doi: 10.1136/thx.38.11.845

Ketotifen and nocturnal asthma.

J R Catterall, P M Calverley, J T Power, C M Shapiro, N J Douglas, D C Flenley
PMCID: PMC459674  PMID: 6359563

Abstract

Patients with asthma often wheeze at night and they also become hypoxic during sleep. To determine whether ketotifen, a drug with sedative properties, is safe for use at night in patients with asthma, we performed a double blind crossover study comparing the effects of a single 1 mg dose of ketotifen and of placebo on arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2), breathing patterns, electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep stage, and overnight change in FEV1 in 10 patients with stable asthma. After taking ketotifen, the patients slept longer and their sleep was less disturbed than after taking placebo, true sleep occupying 387 (SEM 8) minutes after ketotifen and 336 (19) minutes after placebo (p less than 0.02). On ketotifen nights the patients had less wakefulness and drowsiness (EEG sleep stages 0 and 1) and more non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep than on placebo nights, but the duration of REM sleep was similar on the two occasions. Nocturnal changes in SaO2, the duration of irregular breathing, and overnight change in FEV1 were unaffected by ketotifen.

Full text

PDF
845

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Barnes P. J., Greening A. P., Neville L., Timmers J., Poole G. W. Single-dose slow-release aminophylline at night prevents nocturnal asthma. Lancet. 1982 Feb 6;1(8267):299–301. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)91566-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barnes P., FitzGerald G., Brown M., Dollery C. Nocturnal asthma and changes in circulating epinephrine, histamine, and cortisol. N Engl J Med. 1980 Jul 31;303(5):263–267. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198007313030506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Catterall J. R., Douglas N. J., Calverley P. M., Brash H. M., Brezinova V., Shapiro C. M., Flenley D. C. Irregular breathing and hypoxaemia during sleep in chronic stable asthma. Lancet. 1982 Feb 6;1(8267):301–304. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)91567-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Craps L., Greenwood C., Radielovic P. Clinical investigation of agents with prophylactic anti-allergic effects in bronchial asthma. Clin Allergy. 1978 Jul;8(4):373–382. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1978.tb00472.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Craps L. Ketotifen in the oral prophylaxis of bronchial asthma: a review. Pharmatherapeutica. 1981;3(1):18–35. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Douglas N. J., Brash H. M., Wraith P. K., Calverley P. M., Leggett R. J., McElderry L., Flenley D. C. Accuracy sensitivity to carboxyhemoglobin, and speed of response of the Hewlett-Packard 47201A ear oximeter. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1979 Feb;119(2):311–313. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1979.119.2.311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dyson A. J., Mackay A. D. Ketotifen in adult asthma. Br Med J. 1980 Feb 9;280(6211):360–361. doi: 10.1136/bmj.280.6211.360. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fairfax A. J., McNabb W. R., Davies H. J., Spiro S. G. Slow-release oral salbutamol and aminophylline in nocturnal asthma: relation of overnight changes in lung function and plasma drug levels. Thorax. 1980 Jul;35(7):526–530. doi: 10.1136/thx.35.7.526. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Göbel P. The protective effect of ketotifen in bronchial asthma. J Int Med Res. 1978;6(2):78–85. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lane D. J. A steroid sparing effect of ketotifen in steroid-dependent asthmatics. Clin Allergy. 1980 Sep;10(5):519–525. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1980.tb02132.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Martin U., Römer D. The pharmacological properties of a new, orally active antianaphylactic compound: ketotifen, a benzocycloheptathiophene. Arzneimittelforschung. 1978;28(5):770–782. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Monie R. D., Smith A. P., Leopold D., Anderson G., Davies B. H., Thomas G. O. A double-blind clinical trial of ketotifen and disodium cromoglycate in bronchial asthma. Br J Dis Chest. 1982 Oct;76(4):383–389. doi: 10.1016/0007-0971(82)90074-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Montplaisir J., Walsh J., Malo J. L. Nocturnal asthma: features of attacks, sleep and breathing patterns. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1982 Jan;125(1):18–22. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1982.125.1.18. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Pauwels R., Lamont H., Van Der Straeten M. Comparison between ketotifen and DSCG in bronchial challenge. Clin Allergy. 1978 May;8(3):289–293. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1978.tb03226.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Petheram I. S., Moxham J., Bierman C. W., McAllen M., Spiro S. G. Ketotifen in atopic asthma and exercise-induced asthma. Thorax. 1981 Apr;36(4):308–312. doi: 10.1136/thx.36.4.308. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Platts-Mills T. A., Tovey E. R., Mitchell E. B., Moszoro H., Nock P., Wilkins S. R. Reduction of bronchial hyperreactivity during prolonged allergen avoidance. Lancet. 1982 Sep 25;2(8300):675–678. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)90709-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Swinscow T. D. Statistics at square one. XV--The chi-squared tests (continued). Br Med J. 1976 Aug 28;2(6034):513–514. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6034.513. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES