Evaluating clinical efficacy of ayurvedic inhalation therapy(aerosol) and rasayan therapy in the management of COPD-a randomised cohort control clinical study

Chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD) is a common preventable and treatable disease that ischaracterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airway limitation due toalveolar abnormalities caused by significant exposure to noxious particles and gases.The main risk factors for COPD are tobacco smoking, indoor air pollution,occupational exposure,outdoor air pollution,genetic factor. COPD ischaracterized by chronic inflammation of the airways,lung tissue and pulmonaryblood vessels as a result of exposure to inhaled irritants such as tobaccosmoke. Airway re-modelling in COPD is a direct result of the inflammatoryresponse associated with COPD and leads to narrowing of the airways. Mostcommon respiratory symptoms in COPD include dyspnoea,cough and sputumproduction. COPD may be punctuated by periods of acute worsening of respiratorysymptoms called exacerbations.

 COPD is a major cause ofchronic morbidity throughout the world.Currently it is the fourth leading causeof death in the world.More than 3 million people died of COPD in 2012accounting for 6% of all deaths globally. According to WHO 65 million of peoplehave moderate to severe COPD worldwide.

 The prevalence estimatesof COPD in India have ranged from 2 to 22% in men and 1.2 to 19% in women.There are significant differences in prevalence of COPD in different groups andsubpopulation, the cumulative prevalence with the disease onset after 35-40years of age increases with age. It is distinctly more common amongst men andsmokers.This is largely attributed to the indoor air pollution from domesticcombustion of solid fuels for cooking and heating to which women aresignificantly more exposed. This is particularly so in the rural and hillyareas where the solid biomass fuels are primarily used. Exposure toenvironmental tobacco smoke(passive smoking)from male smokers in the house isanother important risk factor for COPD in non smoker women.An estimated 25–45%of patients with COPD have never smoked; the burden of non-smoking COPD istherefore much higher than previously believed. About 3 billion people, halfthe worldwide population, are exposed to smoke from biomass fuel compared with1·01 billion people who smoke tobacco, which suggests that exposure to biomasssmoke might be the biggest risk factor for COPD globally.

Despite of having enormous works on respiratory diseases likeBronchial Asthma, Bronchitis, etc., surprisingly no sufficient works have beendone on COPD. As per survey of researches conducted on past few decade inAyurvedic field, it is found that there have been no researches done inthe past 10 or 20 years that shows effect of inhalation therapy on COPD throughselected drugs. Looking into this need, the current study has beenplanned.