Theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine), a bronchodilator, is widely used to treat patients with asthma, apnea (temporary asphyxia), and other obstructive lung diseases. The monitoring of serum theophylline levels is important because there are wide discrepancies between drug dosage and serum concentrations among patients receiving identical doses. Estimation of theophylline levels may be useful when establishing a dosage for new patients, monitoring compliance or assessing for toxicity.
The assay shows 75.6% cross-reactivity with aminophylline (the ethylene diamine salt of theophylline).
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