[Theophylline in treatment of bronchial obstructive diseases]

The article is the review of the data from literature concerning the new role of theophilline in the management of asthma and chronic bronchoobturative pulmonary disease. Theophilline has been widely used to treat asthma and COPD patients worldwide and is classified as a bronchodilatator, although there is increasing evidence that it has antiinflammatory activity and enhances immunomodulatory effects. The latter is therapeutically relevant to markedly lower serum concentration (even < 10 micrograms/ml) than this required for bronchodilatation. That is particularly clinically important because significant adverse effects have been seen only in the case of doses greater than 10 micrograms/ml.