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Table 6 Measures that may be adopted in preventing COPD exacerbations

From: The clinical and integrated management of COPD. An official document of AIMAR (Interdisciplinary Association for Research in Lung Disease), AIPO (Italian Association of Hospital Pulmonologists), SIMER (Italian Society of Respiratory Medicine), SIMG (Italian Society of General Medicine)

Measure

Efficacy

Influenza vaccination

Documented efficacy

Long term tiotropium administration

Documented efficacy

Long term LABA administration

Documented efficacy

LABA + inhaled corticosteroid administration

Documented efficacy

LAMA + LABA + ICS

Documented efficacy

Continuation of systemic steroid therapy for a brief period after AECOPD

Documented efficacy

Respiratory rehabilitation

Documented efficacy

Smoking cessation

Documented efficacy

Polysaccharide antipneumococcal vaccination

Controversial efficacy

Antioxidant-mucoactive drugs

Controversial efficacy

Bacterial lysate

Possible efficacy