Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Aug 2017
Comparative StudyInitiating or changing to a fixed-dose combination of Fluticasone propionate/Formoterol over Fluticasone propionate/Salmeterol: A real-life effectiveness and cost impact evaluation.
Asthma has a substantial impact on quality of life and health care resources. The identification of a more cost-effective, yet equally efficacious, treatment could positively influence the economic burden of this disease. Fluticasone propionate/Formoterol (FP/FOR) may be as effective as Fluticasone Salmeterol (FP/SAL). We evaluated non-inferiority of asthma control in terms of the proportion of patients free from exacerbations, and conducted a cost impact analysis. ⋯ Changing to, or initiating FP/FOR combination therapy, is associated with a non-inferior proportion of patients who are severe exacerbation-free at a lower average annual cost compared with continuing or initiating treatment with FP/SAL.
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Respiratory medicine · Jul 2017
Multicenter StudyRiociguat for pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Results from a phase II long-term extension study.
Riociguat was well tolerated and improved exercise and functional capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in a 12-week Phase II trial. We present final data from the long-term extension phase of this study. ⋯ Improvements in exercise and functional capacity were maintained at 4 years in patients remaining on treatment, with no new safety signals identified. These data support riociguat as a long-term treatment option for PAH and inoperable CTEPH.
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Respiratory medicine · Jul 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialEvaluation of the psychometric properties of the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire in patients with severe asthma.
Limited data exist on the quantitative validity of the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) in asthma populations. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the SGRQ in patients with severe asthma. ⋯ This analysis demonstrated that the SGRQ has acceptable psychometric properties in patients with severe asthma, exceeding the thresholds for adequate reliability, validity and responsiveness. The SGRQ appears to be a good instrument for identifying response to therapy in patients with severe asthma.
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Respiratory medicine · Jul 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of a single exacerbation on decline in lung function in COPD.
COPD exacerbations are associated with accelerated lung function decline, but whether they are causal is unknown. We evaluated the effect of a single exacerbation on rate of lung function change using data from the 4-year Understanding Potential Long-term Impacts on Function with Tiotropium (UPLIFT®) trial. ⋯ A single COPD exacerbation may result in significant increase in the rate of decline in lung function.
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Respiratory medicine · Jul 2017
Anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa IgG antibodies and chronic airway infection in bronchiectasis.
Identification of chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection is important in the management of bronchiectasis, but requires repeated sputum sampling. We hypothesized that serum anti-PA IgG antibodies could diagnose chronic PA infection at a single visit. ⋯ Anti-PA IgG test is highly accurate to detect chronic PA infection in bronchiectasis patients. In addition, it may be a marker of disease severity and treatment response.