COPD is a major public health problem , and it results with an extensive social and
economical burden on both the patient and his family on one hand and the healthcare
system on the other . Despite the great advances in the management of patients w
ith COPD
, the use of the optimal treatment of the proposed treatment options is still being discussed ,
and Must achieve greater benefit for both patients and the healthcare system .
This research is designed to study and compare the effect of the combination
(salbutamol and ipratropium bromide) with the effect of salbutamol alone in the treatment
of patients with stable COPD , by studying and comparing the improvement in the forced
expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and in forced vital capacity
( FVC) after a month of a treatment .
The study included 80 patients (53 males and 27 females), the patients were between
45-81 years of age , 63 patients were smokers and 17 were nonsmokers.
The study showed that after a month on therapy , for patients treated with the
combination (salbutamol + ipratropium bromide) the increasing in FEV1 was 0.35 liters
and in FVC was 0.61-liter , while , for the patients treated with salbutamol alone , the
increasing in FEV1 was 0.28 liters and FVC was 0.48-liter .
We concluded that a combination of ipratropium bromide and salbutamol is more
effective at improving pulmonary function than salbutamol alone.
