Chest
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Review Meta Analysis
Short Term Exposure to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Increases Hospitalizations and Mortality of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Many epidemiologic studies have documented variable relationships between ambient particulate matter (PM) and COPD hospitalizations and mortality in cities worldwide. ⋯ Our combined analysis indicated that short-term exposure to a 10-μg/m(3) increment of ambient PM2.5 is associated with increased COPD hospitalizations and mortality. Further study is needed to elucidate to what extent this relationship is causal, together with other factors, and to elucidate the mechanism by which PM2.5 induces activation of cellular processes promoting COPD exacerbations.
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Review Meta Analysis
The COPD Assessment Test: what do we know so far?: A systematic review and meta-analysis about clinical outcomes prediction and classification of patients into GOLD stages.
The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) was developed as a simple instrument to assess health status in patients with COPD. This study aimed to systematically review the determinants of the CAT score, its ability to predict clinical outcomes, and the agreement between CAT (≥ 10) and the modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC ≥ 2) to categorize patients into the new Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease classification system. ⋯ CAT may be used as a complementary tool in a patient's clinical assessment to predict COPD exacerbation, health status deterioration, depression, and mortality. The interpretation of this meta-analysis does not support the use of the recommended cutoff points of ≥10 for CAT and ≥2 for mMRC as equivalents for the purpose of assessing patient symptoms.