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N-Acetylcysteine Treatment in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Chronic Bronchitis/Pre-COPD: Distinct Meta-analyses

Alberto Papi, Franco Alfano, Tommaso Bigoni, Lorenzo Mancini, Amal Mawass, Federico Baraldi, Cristina Aljama, Marco Contoli, Marc Miravitlles
Arch Bronconeumol 2024 60(5):269-278

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 38555190
DOI
10.1016/j.arbres.2024.03.010
Funding
Statistical and editorial support was provided by Zambon S.p.A.
Competing interests
Several authors disclosed speaker, consulting, advisory or research relationships with respiratory-product companies including Zambon and other pharmaceutical firms; the full publication contains the detailed disclosures.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis
ModelHuman
Sample20 studies
InterventionOral NAC versus placebo/control
DurationVaried; sensitivity analyses emphasized studies longer than 5 months
EndpointsExacerbations; Symptoms; Quality of life

What the study showed, in plain terms

Modern meta-analysis separating established COPD from chronic-bronchitis/pre-COPD populations.

Key findings

NAC was associated with fewer exacerbations in both COPD and chronic bronchitis/pre-COPD and with symptom or quality-of-life improvement in chronic bronchitis/pre-COPD.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Included trials differed in dose, duration, background therapy and population; pooled effects do not establish the best dose for every patient.

Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology