Nicoleta Bâscă *, B. Drăgulănescu *
* Dr. Nicoleta Bîscă, Dr. Bogdan Drăgulănescu – Institutul Clinic de Pneumoftiziologie “Marius Nasta”, București
Abstract
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlesness, chest tightness and cough that frequently occur at night or in the early morning. These symptoms are the result of inflammation, which leads to airflow limitation. Nedocromil sodium is an anti-inflammatory medication for treatment of mild to moderate asthma. Nedocromil sodium blocks the inflamatory response in the airways by stabilizing inflammatory cells, by preventing release of inflammatory mediators. Nedocromil sodium blocks also the neurogenic component of asthma. Nedocromil sodium is administered by MDI, two (4 mg), inhalation four times per day. Clinical improvement occurs within 2 – 4 days. Studies of patients receiving Nedocromil sodium have shown a significatn decrease in the number of days lost from work or school, an increase of morning peak flow rates, a decrease in need for bronchodilator medications. Nedocromil sodium is a safe and effective “first line therapy” for mild to moderate asthma.