Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Jul 2011
Type II diabetes mellitus is associated with decreased measures of lung function in a clinical setting.
Type II diabetes mellitus has been associated with reduced forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV(1)) and forced vital capacity (FVC). We investigated if this relationship is maintained in a clinical setting, independent of respiratory infections and heart failure. ⋯ In a clinical setting, patients with diabetes have decreased lung function compared to their non-diabetic counterparts, independent of respiratory infections and heart failure.
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Chronic dyspnoea is a devastating symptom that debilitates millions of people worldwide. It causes a large burden on both patient and carer, and significant costs to society and health services. Treatment options are limited. ⋯ Novel neuroimaging methods and an improved understanding of perceptual mechanisms underlying dyspnoea now position us to transform dyspnoea research. Future research should investigate how brain regions associated with dyspnoea interact, as well as accurately correlate this neuronal activation with reliable behavioural measures. A better understanding of the brain processes underlying dyspnoea perception will lead to new therapies that will improve quality of life for a very large group of patients.
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Respiratory medicine · Jun 2011
ReviewLower limit of normal or FEV1/FVC < 0.70 in diagnosing COPD: an evidence-based review.
To review the currently available literature comparing the FEV1/FVC
40 years. ⋯ The prevalence of spirometry-based COPD is greater when using the fixed value of FEV1/FVC in comparison to using the LLN. Based on one longitudinal study the in-between group appears to have a higher risk of hospitalization and mortality; therefore it seems that using the LLN of FEV1/FVC underestimates COPD. In absence of a gold standard of COPD longitudinal research will be necessary to determine which criterion is better and more clinically relevant. -
Respiratory medicine · Jun 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialProfiling the effects of indacaterol on dyspnoea and health status in patients with COPD.
Indacaterol is a novel, inhaled, ultra-long-acting β(2)-agonist bronchodilator for maintenance use in patients with COPD. The aim of this paper is to assess the effect of indacaterol on dyspnoea and health status, using pooled study data to evaluate the relative efficacy of indacaterol and existing bronchodilators. ⋯ Indacaterol provided clinically important improvements in dyspnoea and health status that were at least as good as and often better than those observed with existing bronchodilator treatments for COPD.
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Respiratory medicine · Jun 2011
Prognostic assessment in COPD: health related quality of life and the BODE index.
COPD is a debilitating disease with increasing mortality worldwide. The BODE index evaluates disease severity and the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) measures health status. ⋯ Health status as measured by SGRQ worsens with disease severity evaluated by the BODE index. Both tools predict mortality and provide complimentary information in the evaluation of patients with COPD.