Theophylline, an oral methylxanthine bronchodilator, has been recommended as an alternate therapy for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its use for other respiratory disorders like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or hypoxia is not generally recommended. This scoping review aimed to gather and analyze evidence published between 2000 and 2020 on the use of theophylline in the management of respiratory disorders in adults. The review searched various databases and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. Out of 841 screened studies, 55 were included in the review. The results aligned with current clinical guidelines, which recommend inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators over theophylline as primary therapies for respiratory disorders. The review also highlighted the need for future research. Areas that require further investigation include comparing theophylline with other alternative therapies for asthma and COPD, conducting meta-analyses on low-dose theophylline, and evaluating evidence-based patient-oriented outcomes for OSA, hypoxia, ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction, and spinal cord injury-related pulmonary function.

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