Mucoactive and antioxidant medicines for COPD: consensus of a group of Chinese pulmonary physicians

Abstract

Xixin Yan,1 Yuanlin Song,2,3 Ce Shen,4 Wenbing Xu,5 Liangan Chen,6 Jian Zhang,7 Huiguo Liu,8 Mao Huang,9 Guoxiang Lai,10 Guishen Qian,11 Jing Wang,12 Xianwei Ye,13 Jinping Zheng,14 Chunxue Bai21Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Second Hospital Affiliated to Hebei Medical University, Hebei, 2Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 3Shanghai Respiratory Research Institute, 4Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Shanghai 6th People’s Hospital, Jiaotong University, 5Department of Respiratory Disease, Peking Union Hospital, Beijing, 6Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing 301 Military Hospital, Beijing, 7Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Xijing Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Fourth Military Medical University, 8Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 9Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 10Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, General Hospital of Fuzhou Military Region, Fuzhou, 11Department of Respiratory Medicine, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 12Department of Respiratory Medicine, First Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 13Department of Respiratory Medicine, People’s Hospital of Guizhou Province, Guizhou, 14Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaAbstract: Airway mucus hypersecretion is a frequent symptom associated with acute and chronic airway disease. Inhibition of mucus production or promotion of mucolysis not only relieved symptoms but also improved disease outcomes. There are numerous available mucoactive medicines for prescription, and how to select them properly for different diseases is important for clinical practice. So far, there is no one consensus or guideline reported. A group of Chinese pulmonary physicians worked together to complete this consensus based on literature review, summarized mechanism and usage of each classical mucoactive medicine. In general, antioxidant mucoactive medicines play an important role in chronic airway disease, including but not limited to airway mucus clearance, reduced acute exacerbation and improved pulmonary function.Keywords: sputum, chronic bronchitis, mucolysis

Keywords

• COPD
• expectorant
• anti-oxidant