Anticholinergics in the treatment of children and adults with acute asthma: a systematic review with meta-analysis Free

G.J. Rodrigo, J.A. Castro-RodriguezThorax2005Vol. 60pp. 740-746

This review compared the effectiveness of inhaled anticholinergics plus beta-2 agonists with beta-2 agonists alone for acute asthma exacerbations in the emergency department. The authors concluded that combined treatment significantly reduced hospital admissions and increased spirometry measures for children, adolescents and adults. While individual aspects of study quality were generally not reported, the overall conclusions are likely to be reliable.