Chest
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Despite the significant burden posed by COPD to health care systems, there is a lack of up-to-date information quantifying the general COPD burden, costs, and long-term projections to various stakeholders in the United States. ⋯ Understanding the current disease and economic burden of COPD in the United States, along with the projected costs attributable to COPD in the next decade, will highlight unmet needs and gaps in care that help inform health care decision-makers in planning future actions to alleviate this disease burden.
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Results of retrospective studies have suggested clofazimine as an alternative for rifampicin in the treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD). ⋯ EudraCT; No.: 2015-003786-28; URL: https://eudract.ema.europa.eu.
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Although epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is linked to effects on survival in left-sided heart failure, the association between EAT and right-sided heart failure caused by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains unknown. ⋯ Chinese Clinical Trial Registry; No. ChiCTR2100049804; www.chictr.org.cn.
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Antifibrotics are effective in slowing FVC decline in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, whether antifibrotic type is differentially associated with FVC decline remains inconclusive. ⋯ Patients with IPF who used nintedanib had a slower 12-month FVC decline than pirfenidone in a post hoc analysis of a clinical trial.
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Airway mucus plugs are frequently identified on CT scans of patients with COPD with a smoking history without mucus-related symptoms (ie, cough, phlegm [silent mucus plugs]). ⋯ Mucus plugs are common in patients with COPD without mucus-related symptoms. Silent mucus plugs are associated with worse functional, structural, and clinical measures of disease. CT scan-identified mucus plugs can complement the evaluation of patients with COPD.