Skip to main content
PMC home page
Thorax logoLink to Thorax
. 1974 Jul;29(4):401–406. doi: 10.1136/thx.29.4.401

A controlled trial of prednisone, in low dosage, in patients with chronic airways obstruction

J A Evans 1,1, I M Morrison 1,2, K B Saunders 1,3
PMCID: PMC470171  PMID: 4603999

Abstract

Evans, J. A., Morrison, I. M., and Saunders, K. B. (1974).Thorax, 29, 401-406. A controlled trial of prednisone, in low dosage, in patients with chronic airways obstruction. Ten men with chronic airways obstruction took part in a double-blind controlled cross-over trial of 5 mg prednisone, daily for a week, versus placebo.

All patients had breathlessness as their main complaint, and chronic cough with sputum for 2 to 30 years; five had evidence of emphysema on the chest radiograph. None had a personal or family history of asthma. For the group, mean forced expiratory volume in one second was 1·11 1., and mean forced vital capacity was 2·28 1. Six patients had abnormally high levels of arterial Pco2 (46-52 mmHg).

When the `placebo' and `prednisone' measurements were compared there was no significant change in forced expiratory volumes, bronchodilator effect on forced expiratory volumes, or blood gas tensions. Inspiratory airways resistance measured by body plethysmography was significantly higher, or `worse', on prednisone (mean 4·2 cmH2O per 1/sec) than on placebo (mean 3·2).

Full text

PDF
404

Selected References

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

  1. BEEREL F., JICK H., TYLER J. M. A controlled study of the effect of prednisone on air-flow obstruction in severe pulmonary emphysema. N Engl J Med. 1963 Jan 31;268:226–230. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196301312680502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BRISCOE W. A., DUBOIS A. B. The relationship between airway resistance, airway conductance and lung volume in subjects of different age and body size. J Clin Invest. 1958 Sep;37(9):1279–1285. doi: 10.1172/JCI103715. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Beerel F. R., Vance J. W. Prednisone treatment for stable pulmonary emphysema. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1971 Aug;104(2):264–266. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1971.104.2.264. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CLIFTON M., STUART-HARRIS C. H. Steroid therapy in chronic bronchitis. Lancet. 1962 Jun 23;1(7243):1311–1313. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(62)92418-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. CORAZZA L. J., MORROW C. S., CHESNEY T. A. Triamcinolone in the therapy of chronic bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema. Am J Med Sci. 1961 Oct;242:436–442. doi: 10.1097/00000441-196110000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DUBOIS A. B., BOTELHO S. Y., BEDELL G. N., MARSHALL R., COMROE J. H., Jr A rapid plethysmographic method for measuring thoracic gas volume: a comparison with a nitrogen washout method for measuring functional residual capacity in normal subjects. J Clin Invest. 1956 Mar;35(3):322–326. doi: 10.1172/JCI103281. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. DUBOIS A. B., BOTELHO S. Y., COMROE J. H., Jr A new method for measuring airway resistance in man using a body plethysmograph: values in normal subjects and in patients with respiratory disease. J Clin Invest. 1956 Mar;35(3):327–335. doi: 10.1172/JCI103282. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Evans J. A., Morrison I. M., Saunders K. B. Double blind trial of prednisone, in low dose, in patients with chronic airways obstruction. Clin Sci. 1973 Jun;44(6):26P–26P. doi: 10.1042/cs044026pb. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. FRANKLIN W., MICHELSON A. L., LOWELL F. C., SCHILLER I. W. Bronchodilators and corticosteroids in the treatment of obstructive pulmonary emphysema. N Engl J Med. 1958 Apr 17;258(16):774–778. doi: 10.1056/NEJM195804172581602. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. FREEDMAN B. J. BRONCHODILATORS AND CORTICOSTEROIDS IN CHRONIC BRONCHITIS AND EMPHYSEMA. Br Med J. 1963 Dec 14;2(5371):1509–1512. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5371.1509. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Fuleihan F. J., Feisal K. A., Malouf N. N. Effect of corticosteroids on pulmonary function in chronic bronchitis with airway obstruction. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1967 Oct;96(4):678–684. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1967.96.4.678. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LLOYD T. C., Jr, WRIGHT G. W. Evaluation of methods used in detecting changes of airway resistance in man. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1963 Apr;87:529–537. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1963.87.4.529. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MORGAN W. K., RUSCHE E. A CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE EFFECT OF STEROIDS IN OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY DISEASE. Ann Intern Med. 1964 Aug;61:248–254. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-61-2-248. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MOYES E. N., KERSHAW R. A. Long-continued treatment with tetracycline and prednisolone in chronic bronchitis; a controlled trial. Lancet. 1957 Dec 14;273(7007):1187–1191. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(57)90161-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Oppenheimer E. A., Rigatto M., Fletcher C. M. Airways obstruction before and after isoprenaline, histamine, and presnisolone in patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis. Lancet. 1968 Mar 16;1(7542):552–557. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)92829-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Stein M., Tanabe G., Rege V., Khan M. Evaluation of spirometric methods used to assess abnormalities in airway resistance. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1966 Feb;93(2):257–263. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1966.93.2.257. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Thorax are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES