Chest
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OSA is a common condition that has been associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), but there is a paucity of data from large longitudinal cohorts to establish whether OSA is a risk factor for AF independent of obesity and other established risk factors. ⋯ OSA diagnosis and severity are independently associated with incident AF. Clinical trials are required to determine if treatment of OSA will reduce the burden of AF.
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With body growth from childhood, the lungs can enlarge by either increasing the volume of air in the periphery (as would occur with inspiration) or by increasing the number of peripheral acinar units. In the former case, the lung tissue density would decrease with inflation, whereas in the latter case, the lung density would be relatively constant as the lung grows. To address this fundamental structural issue, we measured the CT scan density in human subjects of widely varying size at two different lung volumes. ⋯ Lung structure in subjects with larger lungs is different from that in subjects with smaller lungs. Tissue volume does not increase in proportion to lung size, as would be required if larger lungs just had more alveoli. These observations suggest that the growth of the lung into adulthood is not accompanied by new alveoli, but rather by enlargement of existing structures. The presence of greater air spaces in larger lungs could impact the occurrence and pathogenesis of spontaneous pneumothorax or COPD.
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Consensus on how best to express bronchodilator reversibility (BDR) is lacking. We tested different BDR criteria against the null hypotheses that BDR should show no sex or size bias. To determine the best criterion for defining BDR, we hypothesized that clinically important BDR should be associated with better survival in respiratory patients compared with that of patients without BDR. ⋯ We have shown that expressing FEV1 BDR as % predicted avoids sex and size bias. FEV1 BDR > 8% predicted showed optimal survival advantage and may be the most appropriate criterion to define clinically important reversibility.
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Telomere syndromes have their most common manifestation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. The short telomere defect in these patients may manifest systemically as bone marrow failure and liver disease. We sought to understand the causes of dyspnea in telomerase and telomere gene mutation carriers who have no parenchymal lung disease. ⋯ This report identifies HPS as a frequent cause of dyspnea in telomerase and telomere gene mutation carriers. While it usually precedes the development of parenchymal lung disease, HPS may also co-occur with pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Recognizing this genetic diagnosis is critical for management, especially in the lung and liver transplantation setting.
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Observational Study
Will nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis develop chronic airway obstruction?: A prospective, observational study.
The long-term prognosis of nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to observe the frequency of relapse among patients with NAEB and the likelihood of NAEB developing into chronic airflow obstruction over time. ⋯ More than 50% of patients with NAEB have repeated episodes associated with persistent sputum eosinophilia after treatment and allergic rhinitis. In the current cohort, chronic airway obstruction does not develop despite small airway dysfunction increases over time.