Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Sep 2008
Assessment of current practice in the diagnosis and therapy of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The consensus statement on the Diagnosis and Therapy of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) formulated by the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) was published in 2000. Acceptance and implementation of these guidelines have not been assessed. We surveyed the fellows of the American College of Chest Physicians (FCCP) to establish current practice patterns regarding the diagnosis and therapy of IPF. ⋯ There is substantial variability among pulmonary physicians in the diagnosis and management of IPF. This may, in part, reflect the current lack of effective pharmacologic therapy. Updated practice guidelines are needed for the diagnosis and therapy of IPF.
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Respiratory medicine · Sep 2008
The economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a U.S. Medicare population.
Although the economic burden of COPD has gained attention in recent years, data on the costs of COPD among U.S. Medicare beneficiaries are lacking. ⋯ In this U.S. Medicare managed care population, COPD posed a substantial burden in terms of both respiratory-related and total healthcare costs. A comparison of these cost-of-illness estimates to those for elderly COPD patients in other countries would be of great interest, given the increasing age of populations in most Western countries.
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Values of spirometry indices vary among subjects of similar age, gender and somatometrics but of different ethnic origins. Low socioeconomic status in childhood is inversely related to lung growth. The aim of this investigation was to assess spirometry values in Gypsy children and compare them to reported values for Caucasians. ⋯ Excluding boys-but not girls-in puberty increased fit for FVC (r(2)=0.83) and FEV(1) (r(2)=0.79). Mean predicted values were 5-10% lower than values for Caucasians. In Gypsy children, FVC and expiratory flow function increase linearly with standing height and predicted values are lower than those for Caucasians of similar height.
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Respiratory medicine · Sep 2008
Polymorphisms in interleukin-1B and its receptor antagonist genes and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a Korean population: a case-control study.
Although several studies have evaluated the association between interleukin-1B (IL1B) polymorphisms and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), most of these studies have focused on -511C-->T and -31T-->C polymorphisms, and the results of these studies have been inconsistent. This study was conducted to investigate the association between four potentially functional polymorphisms of the IL1B gene (-3737C-->T, -1464G-->C, -511C-->T, and -31T-->C) and the risk of COPD. In addition, we examined a potential interaction of the IL1B polymorphisms with the VNTR polymorphism of the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN) gene in determining the risk of COPD. ⋯ These findings suggest that polymorphisms in the IL1B and IL1RN genes might be useful markers for determining genetic susceptibility to COPD in a Korean population.