The objective: development of the best vaccination regimen against pneumococcal infection in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with consideration of changes in microbiological and clinical parameters.Subjects and Methods. 115 patients with COPD were randomized into 4 pneumococcal vaccination groups, they were examined and followed up for 4 years; 112 patients completed the study complying with the protocol. Detail medical history of all subjects was collected. To verify the diagnosis of COPD, all subjects underwent external respiratory function test and bronchodilator test (salbutamol, 400 μg) according to the standard method. The classic microbiological assessment was used in this study. The clinical effectiveness of vaccination was assessed. Statistical processing of the results was performed using StatPlus Pro 6.2.0.0 software (license number 2883).Results. Сonsecutive vaccination with pneumococcal conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines leads to decreased isolation rate of pneuniococcus from the sputum of CODP patients. The frequency of exacerbations, the need for antibiotic chemotherapy and hospitalizations also goes down.
Clinical effectiveness of the Respimat® inhaler device in managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: evidence when compared with other handheld inhaler devices
