ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRIPLE-DRUG THERAPY OVER DUAL-DRUG THERAPY IN COPD PATIENTS – A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

SUJALA AAKARAM; KRISHNA PRASAD D

doi:10.22159/ajpcr.2025v18i2.53725

Authors

SUJALA AAKARAM Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, Anurag University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
KRISHNA PRASAD D Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, Anurag University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2025v18i2.53725

Keywords:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Retrospective, Cohort study, Triple therapy, Dual therapy

Abstract

Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the efficacy of triple-drug combination therapy over double-drug combination therapy.

Methods: A retrospective cohort observational study was conducted on a total number of 240 patients at Medicover Hospitals. The study encompassed 240 subjects suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and parameters such as demographics, symptoms, comorbid conditions, and forced expiratory volume (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio were assessed. The data were compiled and analyzed by applying unpaired t-tests and Chi-square tests using software.

Results: Male patients with 61–70 years of age were prone to suffer from COPD as compared to the other age groups. With regard to the symptoms associated with COPD, shortness of breath and cough were more remarkable in >100 and >90 patients, followed by fever symptoms. In the COPD patients with dual therapy, FEV1:FVC ratio of over 3 months, 30% (n=36) of patients had a FEV1:FVC ratio of <0.7, which increased to 90% (n=108) in the post-treatment, whereas those with a ratio >0.7 decreased from 70% (n=84) to 10% (n=12). 16.67% of patients had a FEV1:FVC ratio of <0.7, which was raised to 93.33% after treatment. This significant shift (**p<0.001) demonstrated a substantial improvement in lung function following triple-drug therapy.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that triple-drug therapy was effective over dual-drug therapy in the management of COPD by marked improvement in lung function and, thereby reduction in exacerbation rates.

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