Debates over the utilization of theophylline that has been commonly used in the treatment of bronchial asthma and COPD, in what dosage and in which group of patients, have still been continuing, because of the pharmacodynamic properties, narrow theurepeutic range and toxic effects in high doses.
In this prospective study, 41 COPD patients not utilising any systemic drug, without any additional disease and with normal hepatic enzymes who consecutively applied to our clinic were evaluated. Patients using slow release theophylline for at least 10 days were divided into 2 groups; Group I (n=20) using 400 mg/day theophylline and Group II (n=21) using 600 mg/day theophylline. Serum thophylline concentrations were measured 4 hours after the morning dose. There was no difference between the groups regarding mean age and body weight (p>0.05). Mean serum theophylline concentration was 7.07±2.61 pg/ml for Group I and 12.27±3.70 pg/ml for Group II (p
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