COPD
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Significant bronchodilator responsiveness and "reversibility" in a population sample.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is defined by being "not fully reversible", most guidelines recommend measurement of lung function after the administration of a bronchodilator. The objective of this study was to compare bronchodilator responsiveness (significant improvement in the FEV(1) or FVC) to full-, partial- or "inverse'" reversibility in obstruction status in a population-based sample in Southeastern Kentucky. The study population was selected using random digit dialing of an adult population in Southeastern Kentucky as part of the Burden of Lung disease (BOLD) project. ⋯ Among those with full-reversibility, only 9/32 (28.1%) had bronchodilator responsiveness, whereas among subjects with "inverse"-reversibility, 10/19 (52.6%) had bronchodilator responsiveness. Among all subjects with bronchodilator responsiveness, only 19/65 (29.2%) changed categories. Our findings suggest that significant bronchodilator responsiveness is not the same as "reversibility" of "obstruction", even though these terms are often used interchangeably.
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Quality of life (QoL) is being recognized as an important outcome when evaluating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. This study aims at identifying the relation between QoL parameters and mortality and morbidity in COPD patients by using the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). ⋯ The activity score of SGRQ was found to be more useful than other scores (Cox regression analysis). Not only PFT but also QoL questionnaires are useful in determining the prognosis of COPD. QoL questionnaires provide a valid and standardized estimate of the overall impact of COPD, and can complement spirometric measurements of baseline assessment of patients in routine practice.
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Superoxide dismutase-3 (SOD3) is a major extracellular antioxidant enzyme, and previous studies have indicated a possible role of this gene in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesized that polymorphisms in the SOD3 gene would be associated with COPD and COPD-related phenotypes. We genotyped three SOD3 polymorphisms (rs8192287 (E1), rs8192288 (I1), and rs1799895 (R213G)) in a case-control cohort, with severe COPD cases from the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT, n = 389) and smoking controls from the Normative Aging Study (NAS, n = 472). ⋯ Quantitative CT data were not available in EOCOPD. The SNPs were not associated with lung function variables or COPD status in any of the populations. In conclusion, polymorphisms in the SOD3 gene were associated with CT emphysema but not COPD susceptibility, highlighting the importance of phenotype definition in COPD genetics studies.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Hospitalizations for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: how you count matters.
ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes are increasingly used to estimate the burden of disease, as well as to evaluate the quality of care and outcomes of various conditions. Acute exacerbations of COPD (AE-COPD) are common and associated with substantial health and financial burden in the U. S. ⋯ Observed trends in the number of hospitalizations over the 7-year period varied depending on which algorithm was used. In conclusion, the estimated health burden and trends in hospitalizations for AE-COPD in the United States differ, depending on which ICD-9-CM algorithm is used. To improve our understanding of the burden of AE-COPD and to ensure that quality of care initiatives are not misdirected, a validated approach to identifying patients hospitalized for AE-COPD is needed.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) poses a significant economic burden on society, and a substantial portion is related to exacerbations of COPD. A literature review of the direct and indirect costs of COPD exacerbations was performed. A systematic search of the MEDLINE database from 1998-2008 was conducted and supplemented with searches of conference abstracts and article bibliographies. ⋯ Unreported exacerbations are common and may influence the long-term costs of exacerbations. Measurement of indirect costs will provide a more comprehensive picture of the burden of exacerbations. Evaluation of pharmacoeconomic analyses would be aided by the use of more consistent and comprehensive approaches to defining and measuring COPD exacerbations.