Impaired Bronchodilator Response to Albuterol in Healthy Elderly Men and Women

Pharmacological modulation of β-adrenoceptor function in patients with coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure

“…Human aging is associated with an increase in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system [105,106] and a diminished β-AR response to catecholamine [107,108]. As a consequence, an alteration of bronchodilator response to β-agonists in elderly people has been suggested [109], and also treatment with β-blockers can be more challenging due to desensitization of β-ARs and variable pharmacokinetic responses that occur with age (potentially decreased absorption, metabolism and excretion) [110]. It is clear that it is imperative to individualize therapy for each patient Finally, it must be mentioned that β1-and β2-AR responses to drug treatment exhibit marked interindividual variability [112][113][114].…”

Pharmacology and Therapeutics of Bronchodilators

“…The bronchodilator effects of albuterol after methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction was tested in a study carried out in healthy subjects (Connolly et al, 1995). This study showed that the older group (age range, 60 -76 years) had a lower sensitivity to bronchodilator effects of albuterol, and this was interpreted by the authors as being due to an age-related decrease in airway ␤ 2 -AR responsiveness.…”

“…A modification of bronchodilator responses to ␤ 2 -AR agonists in older people has been suggested (Connolly et al, 1995). There is considerable evidence relating the reduction in ␤ 2 -AR affinity (or a reduced percentage of high-affinity receptors) with increasing age, possibly in association with receptor internalization in membranebound vesicles (Scarpace and Baresi, 1988).…”

Bridging the gap: ageing, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

“…Generally, -adrenoreceptor function is thought to decline with age, while -adrenoreceptor function is usually unchanged or even increased. For example, airway 2 -adrenoreceptor responsiveness is diminished in the elderly, suggesting that airway -adrenoreceptor dysfunction may be implicated in late-onset asthma (Connolly et al 1995). These changes are not just confined to the lung as an age-related decline in -adrenergic responsiveness, they have also been proposed as a causative factor of reduced bladder compliance in the elderly (Li et al 2003).…”