Outcomes Associated With Early or Delayed Maintenance Treatment Post-Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-03-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The timing of initiating short-term treatment for COPD exacerbations with oral
corticosteroids and/or antibiotic therapy has been shown to influence the recovery time of
exacerbations with early initiation of exacerbation therapy having a faster symptom recovery
compared to delayed initiation. While oral corticosteroids and/or antibiotic therapy are
crucial for immediate exacerbation therapy, maintenance therapy with controller medications
for COPD has been recommended to reduce the risk of future exacerbations. The initiation of
maintenance therapy after a COPD exacerbation has been shown to be beneficial in the
reduction of risk of future exacerbations. However, there is a lack of information on whether
the timing of this initiation influences the risk of future exacerbations. The following
study evaluates the impact of early versus delayed initiation of controller medication
therapy for maintenance treatment following a COPD-related exacerbation on outcomes of future
exacerbations and costs in patients with COPD.