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Jakarta, 28 Apr 2010
Asthma (A Short Overview)
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. It becomes a worldwide problem, with an estimated 300 million affected individuals. Prevalence increasing in many countries, especially in children. The chronic inflammation of the airways is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness that leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing particularly at night or in the early morning. This episodes are usually associated with widespread, but variable, airflow obstruction within the lung that is often reversible either spontaneously or with treatment.
Clinical manifestation of asthma can be controlled with appropriate treatment. Asthma severity may change over time, and depends not only on the severity of the underlying disease but also its responsiveness to treatment.
Measurement of lung function by spirometry or peak expiratory flow provide an assessment of the severity of airflow limitation, its reversibility, and its variability, and provide confirmation of the diagnosis of asthma.
The goal of asthma treatment is to achieve and maintain clinical control. Clinical control of asthma is defined as: no (twice or less/week) daytime symptoms, no limitations of daily activities, including exercise, no nocturnal symptoms or awakening because of asthma, no (twice or less/week) need for reliever treatment, normal or near-normal lung function, and no exarcerbation.
Asthma can be effectively controlled in most patients by intervening to suppress and reverse inflammation as well as treating bronchoconstriction and related symptoms.
Medications to treat asthma can be classified as controllers or relievers. Controllers are medication taken daily on a long-term basis to keep asthma under clinical control chiefly through their anti-inflammatory effects. They include inhaled and systemic glucocorticosteroid, leucotriene modifiers, long-acting inhaled ß-2 agonists in combination with inhaled glucocorticosteroid, sustained-release theophylline, cromones, anti Ig-E, and other systemic steroid-sparing therapies. Inhaled glucocorticosteroids are the most effective controller medications currently available. Relievers are medications used on an as-needed basis that act quickly to reverse bronchoconstriction and relieve its symptoms. They include rapid-acting inhaled ß-2 agonists, inhaled anticholinergics, short acting theophylline and short acting oral ß2-agonists.
Meptin® is a beta-2 agonist drug with procaterol as its active ingredient. Meptin® is classified as a potent and long duration bronchodilator with an unique chemical structure consist of ethyl, carbostyril and isopropyl nucleus which make this drug high selective and high affinity on beta-2 adrenoreceptor.
Meptin® has an anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic action and accelerates mucocilliary activity. As an anti-inflammation and anti-allergic properties, Meptin® prevents the degranulation of the inflammation cells such as mast cells, eosinophil, neutrophil and prevents the release of proinflammatory mediators such as histamine, leucotrienes and prostaglandins.
Meptin® is indicated in the treatment of bronchial asthma, acute and chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema and asthma-like bronchitis.
Meptin® is effective, not only in increasing the mucocilliary activities, reduced the exercise-induced asthma episodes, preventing nocturnal asthma, but also effective in preventing recurrent chronic cough in children.
Reference :
The GINA Reports/The Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention (Updated 2009).
Philip Darmawan, MD., MKT.
Medical Advisor
pdsony@ho.otsuka.co.id
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