International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2018
Is the 6-minute pegboard and ring test valid to evaluate upper limb function in hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of COPD?
The 6-minute pegboard and ring test (6-PBRT) is a useful test for assessing the functional capacity of upper limbs in patients with stable COPD. Although 6-PBRT has been validated in stable patients, the possibility of a high floor effect could compromise the validity of the test in the hospital setting. The aim of this study was to verify the convergent validity of 6-PBRT in hospitalized patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). ⋯ The 6-PBRT is valid for the evaluation of functional capacity of upper limbs in hospitalized patients with AECOPD.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2018
IL-26 in the induced sputum is associated with the level of systemic inflammation, lung functions and body weight in COPD patients.
Chronic inflammatory process is the main link in COPD pathogenesis, which causes structural changes in the respiratory tract and lungs. In overweight patients, an adipose tissue could contribute to activation of the inflammatory process. Therefore, it is highly important to identify potential biomarkers of inflammation for patients with COPD and obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of interleukin-26 (IL-26) and evaluate the relationship between the level of systemic inflammation, lung function, and body mass index (BMI) in patients with COPD. ⋯ Obese COPD patients had a higher level of persistent systemic inflammation than non-obese ones, which is confirmed by a significant increase of CRP and leptin in serum. The data confirm that IL-26 can be considered as a perspective marker to detect the inflammation level in lung tissue of COPD patients.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2018
Emergency department management of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: factors predicting readmission.
Readmissions are common following acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and are partially responsible for increased morbidity and mortality in COPD. Numerous factors have been shown to predict readmission of patients previously admitted to hospital for AECOPD; however, factors related to readmission in patients who are triaged in emergency departments (EDs) and sent directly home are poorly understood. We postulate that patients seen in the ED for AECOPD and directly sent home have a high readmission rate, and we suspect that inadequate management and follow-up contribute to this high readmission rate. ⋯ Patients discharged directly home from EDs have a significantly higher risk of readmission to EDs than those who are hospitalized. One possible reason for this is that COPD management is variable in EDs with <50% receiving appropriate therapy.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2018
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational StudyComparison of COPD Assessment Test and Clinical COPD Questionnaire to predict the risk of exacerbation.
Guidelines recommend the use of simple but comprehensive tools such as COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) to assess health status in COPD patients. We aimed to compare the ability of CAT and CCQ to predict exacerbation in COPD patients. ⋯ A CAT score of ≥15 indicates increased risk of exacerbation in COPD patients, whereas there is no evidence for increased risk based on CCQ score.
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Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis · Jan 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyExacerbation recovery patterns in newly diagnosed or maintenance treatment-naïve patients with COPD: secondary analyses of TICARI 1 trial data.
Little is known about the recovery patterns from acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) in newly diagnosed or maintenance treatment-naïve patients with COPD. This study describes the course of AECOPD in these patients at the time of treatment for the symptoms of acute respiratory tract infection (RTI). ⋯ A substantial portion of newly diagnosed or maintenance treatment-naïve patients with COPD experience relapse or persistent symptoms following a clinic visit for AECOPD with symptoms of RTI. Whether initiating maintenance therapy could improve outcomes and reduce exacerbation risk requires further study.