Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Latest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Marked seasonal variation in COPD exacerbations

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are significantly more likely to experience exacerbations during the winter than summer months, research shows.

8 Mar 2013

Fatigue linked to COPD severity, hospitalization risk

Fatigue is associated with disease severity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, researchers confirm.

8 Mar 2013

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inflammatory subtypes: an interview with Dr Vanessa McDonald, University of Newcastle, Australia

COPD is defined as a preventable and treatable disease associated with significant extrapulmonary consequences that may contribute to severity. The pulmonary component of COPD is characterised by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually progressive with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles (GOLD Strategy Document). Airflow obstruction in COPD is not highly variable and largely irreversible.

8 Mar 2013

UK’s health performance declining compared with 14 EU countries over past 20 years

Six decades of universal free health care, the introduction of widespread public health initiatives (eg, tobacco control, cancer screening, and immunisation), and substantial increases in health expenditure have failed to improve the UK’s health outcomes or longevity ranking against the average of 14 other original members of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Norway, and the USA (EU15+) over the past 20 years.

6 Mar 2013

Telehealth enthusiasm dampened

A home-based telehealth system being pushed by the UK Government does not benefit patients with long-term conditions in terms of their quality of life or psychologic wellbeing, research has shown.

28 Feb 2013

COPD benzodiazepine warning

Canadian researchers have found that benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), despite their known association with adverse respiratory outcomes.

26 Feb 2013

Research roundup: Patients hesitant to focus on costs; Increase in primary care demand is uneven

One way to contain health care spending is to get patients involved in weighing costs of treatment options with their doctors. Researchers recruited 211 medically insured participants to assess their willingness to consider costs when choosing treatments. The authors found that participants generally "preferred better care, even when the relative benefit it offered was marginal, and even when told that the second-best choice still met the threshold of 'good enough' care from a clinician's perspective.

26 Feb 2013

HDAC-mediated mechanisms play critical role in regulating lung repair and regeneration

Lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are on the rise, according to the American Lung Association and the National Institutes of Health.

26 Feb 2013

Gas transfer predicts survival in lung disease patients

Gas transfer is the best lung function predictor of survival in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, study results suggest.

25 Feb 2013

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease risk increased in COPD

Chronic respiratory disease is a significant risk factor for non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, results from a French study show.

25 Feb 2013

COPD has negative prognostic impact in heart attack patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is associated with an increased risk for death and hospital readmission for cardiovascular causes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, research shows.

25 Feb 2013

Dentists concerned about gaps in health law coverage; Mass. effort for small business insurance hampered by federal law

The federal overhaul requires dental care for children but advocates say the mechanism for that will often be complicated. Meanwhile, in a different article about the complications of implementing the health law, the Boston Globe examines efforts by small businesses to buy insurance.

16 Feb 2013

Protein test may help identify bacterial COPD exacerbations

Increased serum levels of pancreatic stone protein/regenerating protein may help identify bacteria-related exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, say researchers.

15 Feb 2013

Researchers identify new molecular pathway involved in alveoli growth

In a study of mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a new molecular pathway involved in the growth of tiny air sacs called alveoli that are crucial for breathing. The scientists say their experiments may lead to the first successful treatments to regrow the air sacs in people who suffer from diseases such as emphysema in which the air sacs have been destroyed by years of smoking.

15 Feb 2013

LASAG trial for severe influenza initiated

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12 Feb 2013

Bronchiectasis finding reveals COPD patients at mortality risk

Bronchiectasis is independently associated with mortality risk among patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Spanish research shows.

12 Feb 2013

Strokes that occur during or shortly after surgery can be devastating

Strokes that occur during or shortly after surgery can be devastating, resulting in longer hospital stays and increased risks of death or long-term disability.

12 Feb 2013

Older adults with COPD more frequently use benzodiazepines

A popular class of drugs commonly used to treat sleep and mood symptoms continues to be frequently prescribed despite being known to have potentially life-threatening side effects.

9 Feb 2013

Etanercept no better than prednisone for COPD exacerbations

Results from a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial suggest that the tumor necrosis factor α antagonist etanercept is no more effective than standard therapy with prednisone for the treatment of acute exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

8 Feb 2013

Anxiety positively linked to physical activity in COPD patients

Higher levels of anxiety are associated with increased physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, US researchers report.

8 Feb 2013