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Treatment Of Anti Asthma Drug Worldwide Essay

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Theophylline Therapy

Abstract: theophylline has been used since ages in the treatment of asthma and remains the most widely prescribed anti-asthma drug worldwide, although the progress of newer anti-asthma medications, especially inhaled steroids, has resulted in declining use of theophylline in modern countries.
Theophylline is basically a bronchodilator, but it is progressively more acknowledged that theophylline has other anti-asthma activities, which may be more important. Theophylline, even at low plasma concentrations, inhibits the lateasthmatic reaction following allergen challenge. These clinical pharmacologicalobservations are substantiated by experimental animal and in vitrodata showing that theophylline has several anti-inflammatory activities relevant to asthma. Theseinclude the inhibition of cytokine synthesis and release, the inhibition of inflam-matory cell activation and microvascular leakage, and the prevention of airwayhyperresponsiveness induced by airway inflammation. Theophylline appears tohave immunomodulatory effects, even at relatively low plasma concentrations.
Based on these considerations, theophylline can be regarded as a useful altern-ative to other anti-inflammatory drugs for the chronic treatment of mild to mod-erate asthma. Theophylline should be used at lower doses to achieve plasmaconcentrations of 5–10 mg•, which will avoid the risk of side-effects.
Further studies are required to evaluate the role of low-dose theophylline as an
adjunct

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