Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Oct 2013
Meta AnalysisSex differences in asthma symptom profiles and control in the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers.
Important differences between men and women with asthma have been demonstrated, with women describing more symptoms and worse asthma-related quality of life (QOL) despite having similar or better pulmonary function. While current guidelines focus heavily on assessing asthma control, they lack information about whether sex-specific approaches to asthma assessment should be considered. We sought to determine if sex differences in asthma control or symptom profiles exist in the well-characterized population of participants in the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers (ALA-ACRC) trials. ⋯ In participants with poorly-controlled asthma, women had outwardly similar asthma control, but had unique symptom profiles on detailed item analyses which were evident on evaluation of three standardized asthma questionnaires.
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Respiratory medicine · Oct 2013
Chronic cough and sputum production are associated with worse clinical outcomes in stable asthma.
Chronic cough and sputum production (chronic mucus hypersecretion) is a poorly described clinical feature of asthma. Our objective was to identify clinical, immunological and computed tomography (CT) measures of airway wall dimensions associated with these symptoms in smokers and never smokers with asthma. ⋯ Chronic mucus hypersecretion occurs frequently in adults with stable asthma, particularly in smokers with severe disease and is associated with worse current clinical control in smokers and more exacerbations in never smokers.
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Respiratory medicine · Oct 2013
Development and validation of a claims-based prediction model for COPD severity.
Administrative claims are an important data source for COPD research but lack a validated measure of patient COPD severity, which is an important determinant of treatment and outcomes. ⋯ The prediction model was developed using clinically measured COPD severity to provide researchers an approach to classify patients using claims data when clinical measures are not available.
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Respiratory medicine · Oct 2013
Amount of elastic fibers predicts prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Elastic fibers enhance the stiffness of fibrotic tissues, but their role in the pathophysiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has not been fully examined. The aim of this study was to determine clinical significance of the amount of elastic fibers in IPF. ⋯ The amount of elastic fiber in fibrotic tissue is a prognostic indicator in patients with IPF.
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Respiratory medicine · Sep 2013
ReviewObesity and asthma: a coincidence or a causal relationship? A systematic review.
Epidemiological data has established increasing adiposity as a risk factor for incident asthma. However, the mechanisms underlying the association between obesity and asthma are incompletely understood. In the present paper, we review current knowledge of possible mechanisms mediating the observed association between obesity and asthma. ⋯ The association between obesity and asthma is not straightforward, and further knowledge is clearly needed, as understanding the underlying mechanisms may lead to new therapeutic options for this high-risk part of the asthma population.