Objective  To evaluate the efficacy of long-term inhaled salmeterol / fluticasone combined with low-dose oral erythromycin in patients with bronchiectasis.
Methods  Sixty-two patients with bronchiectasis after exacerbation and maintained stable were randomly divided into three groups. Group A was treated with low-dose oral erythromycin, group B inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone, and group C inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone plus low-dose oral erythromycin. The study duration lasted for 6 months. The clinical symptoms, dyspnea scale, exacerbation frequency, and pulmonary function parameters were measured and compared.
Results  Fifty-four patients completed the whole study and 8 cases withdrew. The results showed that 6 months of low-dose erythromycin therapy can improve the clinical symptoms, whille exacerbation frequency was also decreased. Inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone improved lung function, however, had no effect on cough, expectoration and exacerbation frequency. Inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone combined with erythromycin was more significantly effective in improving lung functions as well as symptoms.
Conclusions  Long-terminhaled salmeterol/fluticasone combined with low-dose oral erythromycin can improve the clinical symptoms and lung function, decrease the frequency of exacerbation in patients with bronchiectasis. It may be as an alternative to the maintenance treatment of bronchiectasis.

Citation： WAN Zhihui,FAN Hui,HU Ke,YU Hongying,CHEN Guozhong,HU Suping. Efficacy of Long-term Inhaled Salmeterol/Fluticasone Combined with Low-dose Oral Erythromycin in Patients with Bronchiectasis. Chinese Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2012, 11(4): 371-374. doi: Copy