Respirology : official journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology
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Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in adults worldwide, but its epidemiology varies markedly by region. Whilst in high-income countries, the predominant burden of CAP is in the elderly and those with chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary co-morbidity, CAP patients in low-income settings are often of working age and, in sub-Saharan Africa, frequently HIV-positive. Although region-specific aetiological data are limited, they are sufficient to highlight major trends: in high-burden settings, tuberculosis (TB) is a common cause of acute CAP; Gram-negative pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae are regionally important; and HIV-associated opportunistic infections are common but difficult to diagnose. ⋯ CURB65) that are used to guide early management decisions in CAP have not been widely validated in low-income settings and locally adapted tools are required. The optimal approach to initial antimicrobial therapy choices such as the need to provide early empirical cover for atypical bacteria and TB remain poorly defined. Improvements in supportive care such as correcting hypoxaemia and intravenous fluid management represent opportunities for substantial reductions in mortality.
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Predicting the incidence rate of acute exacerbation (AE) of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and its prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and IPF is difficult. The aim was to study the incidence of IPF-AE during the clinical course of the disease and its prognosis in patients with both NSCLC and IPF. ⋯ Our study suggested that mGAP index score and cancer stage may predict IPF-AE and its prognosis in patients with NSCLC and IPF.