薬剤師による吸入療法支援が慢性閉塞性肺疾患（COPD）患者の症状や肺機能に与える影響

抄録

Inhalation medicines are useful for treating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). We reported inhalation counseling given by pharmacists enabled asthma patients to learn the proper inhalation technique and helped in relieving their symptoms. In this study, we investigated whether counseling for COPD outpatients by pharmacists improved their symptoms, which were evaluated using a COPD assessment test (CAT), lung functions, or inhalation technique and whether there was any correlation between them in the first time inhalation therapy support (the first time) and re-support (the second time) of pharmacists' intervention. As a result, patients with an improved or unchanged score of CAT in the second time counseling were increased for the average score of the inhalation technique, compared to the first time counseling. We found a significant positive correlation between inhalation technique and forced expiratory volume in onesecond (FEV₁), percent predicted forced expiratory volume in one second (％FEV₁), or vital capacity (VC) in COPD outpatients with mild symptoms. These results indicate that counseling for inhalation therapy by pharmacists enabled COPD patients to learn the proper inhalation technique and helped in relieving their lung function. Pharmacists give COPD outpatients the appropriate inhalation technique or use, and some useful information for the pathophysiology of COPD.