Blood pressure drugs set for lung trial

Drugs used to treat blood pressureandheartdiseasearetobe given to lung disease patients to see if they can be beneficial, in a trial coordinated by the University of Aberdeen.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long termlungdiseaseduetosmoking that slowly gets worse and affects 1.2 million people in the UK. It is the fifth leading cause of death in the UK, resulting in 30,000 fatalities a year.

The condition causes narrowing of the airways, which causes breathing problems, and often a persistent cough and chest infections. There is no cure for COPD – which costs the NHS £1 billion per year – and it can be hard to treat.

Now a trial, being run out of multiple centres across the UK including Aberdeen and Dundee, will treat COPD patients with beta-blocker drugs which are more commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease.

There is evidence betablockers can reduce flare-ups in people with COPD, even if they do not also have a heart condition.