International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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COPD imposes considerable worldwide burden in terms of morbidity and mortality. In recognition of this, there is now extensive focus on early diagnosis, secondary prevention, and optimizing medical management of the disease. ⋯ We also review the available oral medications and new agents with novel mechanisms of action in early stages of development. With several new pharmacological agents intended for the management of COPD, it is our goal to familiarize potential prescribers with evidence relating to the efficacy and safety of new medications and to suggest circumstances in which these therapies could be most useful.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2015
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyContinuing to confront COPD International Surveys: comparison of patient and physician perceptions about COPD risk and management.
Using data from the Continuing to Confront COPD International Physician and Patient Surveys, this paper describes physicians' attitudes and beliefs regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prognosis, and compares physician and patient perceptions with respect to COPD. ⋯ The Continuing to Confront COPD International Surveys demonstrate that while physicians and patients largely agreed about COPD management practices and the need for more effective treatments for COPD, a gap exists about the causal role of smoking in COPD.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2015
ReviewLAMA/LABA vs ICS/LABA in the treatment of COPD in Japan based on the disease phenotypes.
In the combined use of bronchodilators of different classes, ie, long-acting β2-agonists (LABAs) and long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs), bronchodilation is obtained both directly, through LABA-mediated stimulation of β2-adrenergic receptors, and indirectly, through LAMA-mediated inhibition of acetylcholine action at muscarinic receptors. The clinical trial data for LABAs/LAMAs in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continue to be promising, and these combinations will provide the convenience of delivering the two major bronchodilator classes, recommended as first-line maintenance options in COPD treatment guidelines. COPD is a complex condition that has pulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations. ⋯ Thus, sputum or blood eosinophil counts might identify a subpopulation in which ICSs could have potentially deleterious effects as well as a subpopulation that benefits from ICSs. In this review, I propose one plausible approach to position ICSs and LABAs/LAMAs in clinical practice, based on both the extent of airflow obstruction and the presence of an asthma component or airway eosinophilic inflammation. This approach is a tentative move toward personalized treatment for COPD patients, and with progress in knowledge and developments in physiology, lung imaging, medical biology, and genetics, identification of COPD phenotypes that provide prognostic and therapeutic information that can affect clinically meaningful outcomes is an urgent medical need.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyIncreased hypoxemia in patients with COPD and pulmonary hypertension undergoing bronchoscopy with biopsy.
Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) are considered to be at risk for complications associated with flexible bronchoscopy (FB), but data concerning the degree of PH are often lacking. We investigated whether COPD patients with PH who undergo bronchoscopy are at greater risk for complications. ⋯ PH is common among COPD patients undergoing FB. PH patients undergoing BAL and TBB are at higher risk of decreased O2 saturation than those without PH. Further studies should assess the risk among COPD patients with moderate-to-severe PH.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2015
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational StudyIs a previous diagnosis of asthma a reliable criterion for asthma-COPD overlap syndrome in a patient with COPD?
Some patients share characteristics of both COPD and asthma. As yet, there is no gold standard to identify patients with the so-called asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS). ⋯ ACOS patients diagnosed on the basis of a previous diagnosis of asthma differed from the remaining COPD patients, but they were similar to ACOS patients diagnosed according to more restrictive criteria, suggesting that a history of asthma before the age of 40 years could be a useful criterion to suspect ACOS in a patient with COPD.