Primary care respiratory journal : journal of the General Practice Airways Group
-
Multicenter Study
Does use of a corticosteroid/long-acting beta-agonist combination inhaler increase adherence to inhaled corticosteroids?
This 12-month retrospective pilot study analysed prescription data of 82 patients with asthma from six practices in Norfolk. Patients on an inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta-agonist combination inhaler had significantly greater adherence to inhaled corticosteroids compared to those on a corticosteroid inhaler alone (76.7% versus 40.0%, p=0.001).
-
Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Night-time cough in children with acute wheezing and with upper respiratory tract infection.
To evaluate night-time cough patterns in children with either acute wheezing or an URTI, and to correlate them to the clinical diagnosis. ⋯ Significant differences were found in night-time cough variables between children with an acute episode of wheezing and children with an URTI. This could be useful in clinical practice.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Bronchodilator efficacy of tiotropium in patients with mild to moderate COPD.
Evaluation of tiotropium efficacy in patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) defined by the 2003 Swedish Society of Respiratory Medicine guidelines (post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC <70%; FEV1 >60% predicted). ⋯ Compared with placebo, tiotropium improved lung function in patients with mild COPD.
-
Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) is a relatively uncommon collagen vascular disease that can lead to both upper and lower airway disease. Subglottic stenosis is one manifestation of the airway disease and can occur even during the quiescent phase of the disease, independent of an active inflammatory response. A high index of suspicion is necessary for this complication in patients with known WG who complain of dyspnoea, and WG should be high on the differential diagnosis in those found to have "idiopathic" subglottic stenosis. We report the case of a patient who presented with this problem, and we review the prevalence, diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment.
-
To assess the primary care management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in relation to COPD guidelines. ⋯ There is a need to establish structured programs for COPD care including smoking cessation programs for COPD patients with special trained staff. Larger PHCCs have a better infrastructure for providing guideline-defined COPD care.