[Oral theophylline therapy for dyspnea].

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Clinical Therapeutics

Background:

• Severe dyspnea can significantly impact patient quality of life.
• Reversible airway obstruction necessitates effective therapeutic interventions.
• Theophylline is a bronchodilator used in managing respiratory conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the blood levels of Theophylline following oral and systemic administration of Euphyllin.
• To compare the bioavailability of oral versus injected Euphyllin in patients with severe dyspnea.
• To assess the efficacy of oral Theophylline in achieving therapeutic serum concentrations.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 10 patients with reversible airway obstruction and severe dyspnea.
• Administration of 193.2 mg Theophyllinmonohydrat and 46.8 mg Aethylendiamin (Euphyllin) via oral and systemic routes.
• Monitoring of blood serum concentrations of Theophylline over time.

Main Results:

• Oral and systemic administration of Euphyllin were found to be bioequivalent.
• Oral administration resulted in sustained serum Theophylline concentrations above 5 mg/l.
• However, serum concentrations achieved with oral administration were below the postulated therapeutic range of 10-20 mg/l.

Conclusions:

• While oral and injected Euphyllin show bioequivalence, oral administration may not consistently reach therapeutic Theophylline blood levels in patients with severe dyspnea.
• Further investigation into optimized oral dosing regimens may be warranted.
• Theophylline's role in managing severe dyspnea requires careful consideration of achievable serum concentrations.