Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1998 Aug:28 Suppl 3:64-70.

Nocturnal asthma and the use of theophylline

R J Martin  1
Affiliations
  • PMID: 9756189
Review

Nocturnal asthma and the use of theophylline

R J Martin. Clin Exp Allergy. 1998 Aug.

Abstract

The nocturnal worsening of asthma is a common event in asthma patients. Some studies have shown the prevalence of nocturnal asthma to be as high as 75% of patients. It is important to understand this phenomenon as nocturnal asthma is associated with decreased daytime cognitive function and increased morbidity and mortality. The exact mechanism for decrements in overnight lung function is not known. However, there are many different processes associated with nocturnal asthma. Day-to-night change in both circulating bronchodilating and bronchoconstricting mediators occur which favour airway narrowing and increased bronchial hyperresponsiveness at night. The beta2 adrenergic receptors decrease in both number and function at night which is associated with a genetic polymorphism, a glycine 16 substitution. Neuroinfluences such as increased nocturnal cholinergic tone also contribute to nocturnal asthma, and a hallmark of nocturnal asthma is increased airway inflammation during sleep. Long-acting theophylline preparations have long been associated with improvement in overnight lung function. Some of these agents can be used in a chronotherapeutic modality, that is, higher blood levels at night when the disease is worse and lower blood levels during the day when lung function is routinely better. Theophylline works as both a bronchodilator and an anti-inflammatory agent to improve nocturnal asthma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

MeSH terms