Is there any pharmacological treatment for COPD?
During COPD treatment, pharmacological treatment, always administrated under proper and qualified medical control, is adopted in order to reduce symptoms, frequency and severity of exacerbations, improve health status, and improve exercise tolerance. Among most important drugs, it is possible to remind bronchodilators and glucocorticosteroids. Bronchodilators can be taken “as needed” to relieve intermittent or worsening symptoms, and on a regular basis to prevent or reduce persistent symptoms. On the other side, treatment with glucocorticosteroids can reduce the frequency of exacerbations and thus improve health status, but cannot treat lung deterioration induced by COPD. Both bronchodilators and glucocorticosteroids are usually administrated by inhalation.
