Chronic respiratory disease
-
Comparative Study
Differences in clinical features of acute exacerbation between connective tissue disease-associated interstitial pneumonia and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) is a devastating condition that frequently occurs in the advanced stage of IPF. However, the clinical features in AE of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial pneumonia (AE-CTD-IP) have not been well-established. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical features of AE-CTD-IP and to compare them with those of AE-IPF. ⋯ At AE, AE-CTD-IP patients showed higher white blood cell counts (12.0 vs. 9.9 × 103/μL; p = 0.023), higher CRP (10.2 vs. 6.7 mg/dL; p = 0.027), and longer period from admission to the beginning of AE treatment (4 vs. 1 days; p = 0.003) than AE-IPF patients. In addition, patients with AE-CTD-IP had poor prognosis as in those with AE-IPF (log-rank; p = 0.171). In conclusion, AE-CTD-IP occurred even in the early stage of IP and had more inflammatory status than in AE-IPF.
-
Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are important causes of hospital admission and mortality. Pneumonia is a major contributor to hospitalization for AECOPD and has a close relationship with poor outcomes. We performed a prospective cohort study to evaluate the prognosis of AECOPD patients with or without community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) who hospitalized from January 2012 to December 2015. ⋯ Multivariate analysis revealed the readmission within 30 days ( p < 0.001), serum hemoglobin concentration ( p = 0.010), and albumin level ( p = 0.049) were significantly associated with 180-day mortality of AECOPD with CAP. AECOPD with CAP showed lower survival rate than AECOPD without CAP during 6 months. Early readmission within 30 days was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality.
-
The majority of cases involving hypercalcemia in the setting of sarcoidosis are explained by the overproduction of calcitriol by activated macrophages. Vitamin D takes part in the regulation of granuloma formation. ⋯ Although sarcoidosis does not cause a decrease in bone mineral density, increased incidence of vertebral deformities is noted. Despite increasing knowledge about calcium homeostasis disorders in patients with sarcoidosis, there is still a need for clear guidelines regarding calcium and vitamin D supplementation in these patients.
-
Observational Study
COPD patients in need of palliative care: Identification after hospitalization through the surprise question.
Currently, few patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who might benefit from a palliative care approach are referred to a palliative care team. Tools to identify patients eligible for a palliative care approach have been found to be difficult to apply in daily practice. Therefore, there is need for a simple and easily applicable tool to identify those patients who would benefit from referral to a palliative care team. ⋯ The "not surprised" group fulfilled significantly more GSF criteria. The SQ after recent hospitalization for COPD has a very high specificity compared to a standardized tool and is therefore a useful tool for the quick identification of patients who are most likely to benefit from palliative care. However, this method doesn't identify all patients who are eligible for referral to palliative care.
-
Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease guidelines support the prescription of fixed combination inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting β-agonists in symptomatic COPD patients with frequent or severe exacerbations, with the aim of preventing them. ICS are frequently also prescribed to COPD patients with mild or moderate airflow limitation, outside guidelines, with the risk of unwanted effects. No investigation to date has addressed the views of these milder COPD patients on ICS withdrawal. ⋯ Attitudes in this study to discontinuing ICS use varied. Knowledge of the drug itself, the indications for its prescription in COPD and potential for side effects, was scant. The proposed withdrawal of ICS is likely to be challenging and requires detailed conversations between patients and respiratory healthcare professionals.