And, what new and/or alternative treatments are there for COPD?
Answer Hi John I prefer to refer to them as “therapies” because using the word “treatment” suggests there is a cure and, of course, there is no known cure for COPD. However, there a number of therapies. The most important, and the one proven to make a difference is “smoking cessation”. People with COPD should be encouraged and helped to stop smoking at every opportunity. There are various “inhaled therapies”. I guess the newest is a long-acting bronchodilator (an anti-cholinergic bronchodilator) called “Spiriva” although it may have a different trade name in other countries. It doesn’t so much open the airways but it stops them from closing. It lasts about 24 hours in the lungs so it only needs to be used once a day. It has worked well in lots patients that I know. it comes in an inhaler. There are many other “inhaled bronchodilators” on the market as well as inhaled steroids too, but none of them are particularly new so you will probably know about them already. “Oxygen therapy” in ca
