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Adverse effects of a single dose of (+)-sotalol in patients with mild stable asthma
G Devereux1, K Fishwick, T C Aiken
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Victoria Infirmary, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Aims:
To investigate the effect of (+)-sotalol, which is not thought to possess clinically significant beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity, on airway responsiveness in subjects with mild asthma.
Methods:
A placebo controlled, double-blind, single dose, cross over study, evaluating the effects of oral (+)-sotalol 300 mg and oral (+/-)-sotalol 240 mg, on airway responsiveness, FEV1, and heart rate in 18 asthmatic volunteers with quantifiable levels of airway responsiveness.
Results:
Compared with placebo, (+)-sotalol induced a significant increase in airway responsiveness, and a significant decrease in FEV1, but there was no significant change in heart rate. Following (+/-)-sotalol there was no significant effect on airway responsiveness, but there were significant decreases in FEV1 and heart rate. In one subject both (+)-sotalol and (+/-)-sotalol provoked a 49% decrement in FEV1, and in another there were decrements of 20% and 18%, respectively.
Conclusions:
Despite theoretical considerations, it cannot be assumed that (+)-sotalol is safe in patients with asthma.