Pneumonologia i alergologia polska
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Pneumonol Alergol Pol · Jan 2006
[Bronchial obstruction reversibility test in the assessment of COPD severity--controversies].
The GOLD and ERS/ATS guidelines recommend the post-bronchodilator FEV1 (% predicted) to define the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Yet in various publications authors analyze the pre-bronchodilator value or do not clearly state which value was used when the bronchial reversibility test was performed. The guidelines established by the Polish Respiratory Society (PRS) do not specify if performing the reversibility test is necessary to estimate the COPD severity and suggest a reversibility test evaluation which differs from that in the ERS/ ATS and GOLD recommendations. ⋯ the bronchial obstruction reversibility test is essential in the diagnosis and assessment of severity of COPD. Despite poor obstruction reversibility in this disease the use of pre-bronchodilator FEV1 in the assessment of COPD severity may be misleading and is an obstacle in the comparative analysis of studies in the domain of this disease. Differences in the guidelines for the management of COPD may also hinder comparative studies and influence epidemiologic data.
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Pneumonol Alergol Pol · Jan 2006
[Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease needs adjectives: "guiltless" COPD, "asthma like" and "emphysemal" COPD].
The author proposes an extension of terminology of COPD by introducing to certain situations the adjectives "guiltless" (for patient who never smoked) , "asthma like" (for patients with symptoms with reversible bronchoconstriction and eosinophilia) and emphysemal COPD. The aim of this proposal is better understanding of certain events in the disease and subsequently proper treatment.
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Pneumonol Alergol Pol · Jan 2006
Clinical Trial[Influence of nasal continuous positive airway pressure on response to exercise in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome].
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients are at risk of cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the response to symptom limited exercise test. ⋯ OSAS patients are not limited on exercise. Treatment with nasal CPAP attenuates circulatory response to incremental exercise on a treadmill.
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Pneumonol Alergol Pol · Jan 2006
[Pulmonary mycobacteriosis--the diagnostic challenge. The authors' experience].
The diagnosis of NTM-related pulmonary disease is based on clinical symptoms, radiological features and several positive cultures of one and the same NTM species from samples obtained from the respiratory tract. Short hospitalization usually does not enable sufficient diagnostic procedures to meet the diagnostic criteria, and this may lead to the reduction of diagnostic sensitivity. The aim of the study was to draw attention to NTM-related pulmonary disease, to share the authors' experience in the diagnosing of pulmonary mycobacteriosis and to indicate the possibilities of improving the diagnostic accuracy in this disease. A group of 31 patients with sputum, bronchial washing and/or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) NTM-positive cultures was selected from a cohort of 245 patients evaluated for tuberculous and nontuberculous mycobacterial diseases (total number of 1277 specimens were invastigated). In two of them NTM related pulmonary disease was diagnosed (caused by M. kansasii and M. avium) at the course of initial evaluation. In the remaining 29 patients the microbiological data did not allow to establish the diagnosis of mycobacterial lung disease mainly due to a small number of samples from the respiratory tract. From this group 13 patients were reevaluated within 3 - 6 months from the initial investigation. This allowed to identify two new cases of mycobacteriosis (M. kansasii and M. avium). Thus among 31 patients with NTM positive cultures from respiratory tract specimens 4 patients (4/31, 12,9%) met the diagnostic criteria for mycobacterial disaease. ⋯ Microbiological analysis of an adequate number of samples in symptomatic patients with radiological features suggestive for NTM-related pulmonary disease increses the diagnostic sensitivity in pulmonary mycobacteriosis. Identification of the species in positive cultures is of great importance.