Spa and climate therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases [Possibilità crenoterapiche e climatoterapiche nelle malattie ostruttive polmonari croniche]

The authors remind the main epidemiological and clinical findings of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); the prevalence and incidence of COPD is increasing and COPD is now the IV cause of death in the world. Moreover, it is cause of increasing pharmaceutic and hospital charges. COPD has multifactorial etiology, linked to genetic and exogenous factors, as tobacco smoke, air pollution, microbial infections and cold. The GOLD guide lines of the medical therapy of the COPD are showed. The spa therapy of COPD is based on the inalatory use of mineral water, mainly sulphureous and salsojodic. Sulphureous mineral waters have vasodilating activity on vessels of bronchial mucose, improving its trophic state, and increase the production of secretory IgA and muco-ciliary clearance; they have fluidificant activity on bronchial secretion. Clinical trials showed improvement of cough, sputum and functional indexes as FEV1 and CV. Salsojodic mineral waters increase the fluidity of the bronchial mucus, muco-ciliary clearance and the trophism of the bronchial mucose. The authors remind the properties of sulphate and bicarbonate mineral waters in the spa therapy of COPD. Finally authors refer about some effects of spa therapy and climatic-enviromental situations on COPD morbidity.