ABSTRACT

Important improvement has been achieved in the treatment of respiratory diseases, nevertheless the later remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children and adults in our country. In childhood are also responsible for most hospital attendances and school absenteeism. Treatment goals of airway disease are mainly related with three aspects: control or eradication of trigger factors, control and treatment of the inflammatory response and control and treatment of increased mucus secretion. Pharmacological treatment of those diseases in which mucus secretion is increased include mucoactive agents that enhance mucus clearance or reduce mucus production. Erdosteine, a synthetic derivative of a natural aminoacid methionine, was developed as a mucolytic agent that was intended to reduce mucus viscosity and thus improve mucociliary clearance, pulmonary ventilation, reduce illness length, increase antibiotic permeation and reduce the risk of oxidative stress, the later related with the pathogenesis of several illnesses such as pulmonary fibrosis. Erdosteine has shown good efficacy in clinical practice in patients with airway disease, reduce viscosity and volume mucus production, increased mucociliary clearance and less frequent and severe cough episodes and dyspnea has been shown among its clinical effectiveness.

KEYWORDS

Erdosteine, mucolytic..

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