COPD

Home initiation of chronic noninvasive ventilation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure was shown to be as safe as in-hospital initiation, and reduced costs by more than 50%, according to a new study.

Albert Rizzo, MD, FACP, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, discusses the prevalence of overtreatment and undertreatment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A total of 45% of patients made at least 1 error when using an inhaler, and the number of errors per patient ranged from 1 to 6.

Men without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed an associated difference in bone quality based on their smoking status and pack-years, according to a new study.

Patients with lower neutrophil counts had similar reductions in pneumonia, regardless of whether their treatment contained or did not contain inhaled corticosteroids.

The findings, coming from data on more than 900 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, indicate that as depression severity increased, so did the odds of landing in the hospital.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is understood to be linked with both physical and mental distress, and recent research also suggests that, among current and former smokers with COPD, there exists a significant unmet need in terms of patients’ anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Albert Rizzo, MD, FACP, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association, discusses the use of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) /forced vital capacity (FVC) for the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

While pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an evidence-based and cost-effective treatment for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), uptake of and compliance with this intervention has been poor. For patients who decline PR, inspiratory muscle training (IMT), which involves strengthening the inspiratory muscles by increasing their workload, may be an option, particularly as it can be performed in the home instead of in a clinic.

While air pollution has long been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, this is believed to be the first longitudinal study of air pollution and emphysema progression.

The clinical features of systemic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are well recognized, but little is understood about the molecular mechanisms underlying this inflammation.

The study of more than 21,000 patients showed that after a median follow-up of 2.1 years, patients with comorbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had significantly worse overall survival and progression-free survival.

Using bronchodilators early on in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasingly understood to be an important therapeutic intervention to improve quality of life, inhibit disease progression, and allow for greater physical activity. One recent paper sought to compare 2 treatment options with respect to their impact on pulmonary function, health-related quality of life, and physical activity: twice-daily inhalation therapy with aclidinium and once-daily inhalation therapy with tiotropium.

Chronic kidney disease comorbid with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was associated with increased mortality, independent of other cardiovascular comorbidities.

A recent study used a cross-sectional analysis of a large cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to investigate the relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and AF to identify mediators of increased vascular risk; they found that the risk of cardiovascular complications is higher for patients with AF who also have COPD than it is for patients without COPD.

The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was nearly 50% higher among patients with arthritis compared with those without arthritis, even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, risk behaviors, frequent distress, and asthma status.

In a study recently published in Respirology, investigators sought to identify the benefit of using a handheld flow meter in screening patients for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Researchers from the United Kingdom found that the C-reactive protein (CRP) finger-prick blood test resulted in significantly fewer people using antibiotics for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare-ups without negatively affecting patient health.

Using blood eosinophils as a proxy for tissue eosinophils has become a biomarker for the risk of exacerbation, as well as for response to inhaled corticosteroids, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and blood eosinophils are currently considered a treatable trait for managing COPD.

Study findings indicate that air pollution speeds up aging of the lungs and increases the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Comorbidities are common for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overlap.

Individuals with chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (COPD) report low disease-specific knowledge.

A study from the Cleveland Clinic found a significant drop in hospitalization of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using electronic inhaler monitoring and a disease management program.

Patterns of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevalence by geographical location were found to be similar among current, former, and never smokers, indicating factors other than smoking status, such as secondhand smoke exposure, may influence the risk of developing the progressive lung disease.

The 70% ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity proved as or more accurate than other thresholds for predicting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)–related hospitalizations and deaths.