Lung function of adult patients with bronchial asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease prior to and following a 3-month-stay in the Dutch Asthma Center in Davos]

The effect of a multidisciplinary treatment for obstructive airway disease at high altitude has not been well established for adult patients. One hundred and fifty patients with obstructive airway disease were examined at admission and at discharge after a 3-month hospitalization period in an Alpine clinic. Body plethysmographic data were collected at admission and at discharge as was medication use. Patients were subdivided into three groups, one group (n = 34) with bronchial asthma, one group (n = 97) with moderately severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and one group (n = 19) with severe COPD. The greatest improvement in lung function data occurred in the moderately severe COPD group (at discharge before salbutamol administration there was an increase in FEV1 of 6%, after salbutamol administration there was an increase in FEV1 of 7%). When we divided the patient groups into atopic and non-atopic, it appeared that the non-atopic moderately severe COPD group showed the greatest improvement in lung function variables. The histamine threshold (expressed in 10logPC20) improved only in the moderately severe COPD group. There was a reduction from mean 7.5 mg per day in oral corticosteroids use to mean 5.0 mg per day in the moderately severe COPD group. We conclude that after 3 months' multidisciplinary treatment in the Alpine climate there is an improvement in lung function and a reduction in medication use in patients with airflow limitation.