International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2012
Comparative StudyBronchial hyperresponsiveness in women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease related to wood smoke.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) related to wood smoke exposure is characterized by important inflammation of the central and peripheral airways without significant emphysema. The objective of this study is to describe the bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) level in women with COPD related to wood smoke exposure and to compare it with the BHR in women with COPD related to tobacco smoking. ⋯ We found moderate to severe BHR in women with WS-COPD, which was more severe than in the TS-COPD women with similar age and airflow obstruction. This paper suggests that the structural and inflammatory changes induced by the chronic exposure to wood smoke, described in other studies, can explain the differences with TS-COPD patients. Future studies may clarify our understanding of the impact of BHR on COPD physiopathology, phenotypes, and treatment strategies.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2012
Microbiological study of patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) and the usefulness of analytical and clinical parameters in its identification (VIRAE study).
Respiratory infection is the most common cause for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD). The aim of this work was to study the etiology of the respiratory infection in order to assess the usefulness of the clinical and analytical parameters used for COPD identification. ⋯ Based on our experience, clinical and analytical parameters are not useful for the etiological identification of COPD exacerbations. Diagnosing COPD exacerbation is difficult, with the conventional sputum test for bacterial etiology and molecular biology techniques for viral etiology providing the most profitability. Further studies are necessary to identify respiratory syndromes or analytical parameters that can be used to identify the etiology of new AE-COPD cases without the laborious diagnostic techniques.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2012
Clinical diaries in COPD: compliance and utility in predicting acute exacerbations.
Daily diaries are often used to collect data on disease activity, but are burdensome and compliance may be poor. Their use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and impact on the prevention and treatment of exacerbations is poorly researched. ⋯ Good compliance can be achieved using daily diaries in COPD, although this is worse in those with a poor educational level. Diary-keeping is not accurate in predicting acute exacerbations, but could be substantially simplified without loss of efficiency.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2012
Clinical TrialRelationship between frequency, length, and treatment outcome of exacerbations to baseline lung function and lung density in alpha-1 antitrypsin-deficient COPD.
Diary cards are useful for analyzing exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), although factors influencing the length and frequency of each episode are poorly understood. This study investigated factors that influence the features of exacerbations in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (PiZ phenotype) and COPD. ⋯ In alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, the frequency and length of resolution of exacerbation were related to baseline gas transfer. Treatment delay adversely affected exacerbation length, and lung density was the best independent predictor of delay in starting treatment.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2012
Correlates of COPD and chronic bronchitis in nonsmokers: data from a cross-sectional study.
Our objective was to assess the prevalence of chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their correlates among a Lebanese nonsmoker group. ⋯ A substantial percentage of the nonsmoking population may exhibit chronic bronchitis or COPD. The significant correlates mentioned above should be taken into consideration in order to reduce the risk of developing such chronic and debilitating respiratory diseases.