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Related terms: COPD, Bronchitis, Chronic, Bronchitis with Airway Obstruction, Chronic Bronchitis, Chronic Obstructive Airway Disease, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, Emphysema

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COPD Can Put a Damper on Sex Life

Posted 6 days ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 21 – Shortness of breath during sexual activity is common for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new, small study finds. This breathlessness, also known as dyspnea, can inhibit healthy sex lives and is more common among COPD patients than even heart failure patients. COPD is a term used to describe certain lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. "We compared measures of well-being, depression and sexual function among older patients with severe COPD or heart failure, both of which are associated with dyspnea during exertion," said Dr. Ejvind Frausing Hansen, chief physician at Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark. "Dyspnea at exertion can also limit daily activities and increase the risk of poor well-being, social isolation, and depression," he said in a news release from the American Thoracic Society. In conducting the study, the ... Read more

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Acupuncture May Help Ease Symptoms of COPD

Posted 13 days ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 14 – For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acupuncture may help relieve shortness of breath during activity, Japanese researchers suggest. COPD is a progressive lung condition that makes it hard to breathe; it is commonly caused by smoking or exposure to other toxins. "The effects of acupuncture are large," said Dr. George Lewith, from the University of Southampton in Hampshire, England, co-author of an editorial accompanying the study. "This is particularly remarkable in a condition that seems largely unresponsive to more conventional treatments." Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese practice, involves the insertion of thin needles into certain points on the body to boost health and well-being. The researchers tested it in addition to standard medical care. If this study can be duplicated and this effect is deemed valid, acupuncture may be a treatment ... Read more

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Screening for Other Health Problems May Aid COPD Survival

Posted 4 May 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, May 4 – People with the often deadly lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, have an increased risk of death if they also have certain types of other health problems, according to new research. COPD is a progressive disease involving bronchitis and emphysema, often tied to smoking, that makes it hard for patients to breathe. The new study included more than 1,600 COPD patients in the United States and Spain who were followed-up for an average of 51 months. The findings were released online May 4 ahead of print publication in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The researchers looked at 79 other health problems in the COPD patients and found that "12 were significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of death," lead study author Dr. Miguel Divo, a physician in the pulmonary and critical division at Brigham ... Read more

More Smog Might Mean More Hospitalizations

Posted 18 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, April 18 – Long-term exposure to fine-particle air pollution may increase older adults' risk of being hospitalized for lung and heart disease, stroke and diabetes, a new study says. Harvard School of Public Health researchers compared air-quality data with hospital admission records on all Medicare patients aged 65 and older admitted to 3,000 New England hospitals between 2000 and 2006. The researchers focused on fine air particles known as PM2.5, which have a diameter of 2.5 microns or less and are narrower than the width of a human hair. These particles – emitted by vehicles, power plants, wood-burning devices and some industrial processes – can lodge in the lungs and cause inflammation throughout the body. "Our study found that long-term rates of admissions for pneumonia, heart attacks, strokes and diabetes are higher in locations with higher long-term average particle ... Read more

Climate Change Could Be Tough on Seniors' Health: Study

Posted 9 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 9 – Even small swings in temperatures could put elderly people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart failure and lung disease at greater risk of death throughout the coming summer, a new study indicates. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found temperature fluctuations related to climate change could claim thousands of lives every year. Experts predict climate change could increase variations in summer temperatures, particularly in the mid-Atlantic states and in parts of France, Spain and Italy. In these more volatile regions, this could pose a serious public health risk, the study authors claimed. "The effect of temperature patterns on long-term mortality has not been clear to this point. We found that, independent of heat waves, high day-to-day variability in summer temperatures shortens life expectancy," study author Antonella ... Read more

Secondhand Smoke in Childhood Linked to Lung Disease Years Later

Posted 19 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 19 – Children exposed to secondhand smoke have nearly twice the risk of developing a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when they're adults, a new study has found. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a term used for a number of conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. In the study, Norwegian researchers looked at 433 adult COPD patients and 325 adults without the disease to assess risk factors for the condition, which causes breathing difficulties and grows worse over time. Women exposed to secondhand smoke as children had a 1.9 times greater risk of developing the lung disease than those who weren't exposed, while men exposed to secondhand smoke as children had a 1.5 times to 1.7 times greater risk than those who were not exposed, the investigators found. Overall, childhood exposure to secondhand smoke was a much ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Cured Meat Products Linked to Lung Disease Flare-Ups

Posted 8 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 8 – Eating too much lunch meat, bacon, hot dogs and such could worsen symptoms of airway diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, a new study suggests. These diseases, which cause inflammation of the lungs that make it difficult for a person to breathe, are commonly included under the umbrella term "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease" (COPD). Lung infections, air pollution or tobacco smoke are common triggers for flare-ups of the diseases and can lead to hospitalization among patients. In the new study, researchers in Spain reported that the nitrates used as preservatives in cured meats produce reactive nitrogen species that could damage lung tissue, and excessive consumption of these food items might raise the risk of hospitalization among COPD patients. During the investigation, 274 COPD patients were monitored for an average of two years starting with their ... Read more

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Bronchitis

Poor Lung Function Linked to Heart Failure in Study

Posted 27 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 27 – Reduced lung function and obstructive airway disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increase the risk of heart failure, a new study has found. In patients with heart failure, the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. For the new study, researchers analyzed data from 16,000 people in the United States, aged 45 to 64, who took part in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study and were followed for an average of 15 years. The results showed that the long-term risk of developing heart failure increased as lung function decreased. Lung function was determined using a test known as forced expiratory volume (FEV1) by spirometry, which measures how much air a person can exhale in one second. The findings did not change even after the researchers accounted for age, prior heart disease or cardiovascular disease risk factors such as ... Read more

Soft Drinks May Raise Odds for Respiratory Ills: Study

Posted 7 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 7 – Drinking a lot of soft drinks may increase the risk for asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study suggests. Nearly 17,000 people aged 16 and older in South Australia were asked about their consumption of soft drinks such as Coke, flavored mineral water, lemonade, Powerade and Gatorade. More than 10 percent of the participants said they drank more than half a liter of soft drinks a day, according to the study, published in the February issue of the journal Respirology. That's a little more than two 8-ounce glasses of soft drinks. The researchers found that 13.3 percent of the participants with asthma and 15.6 percent of those with COPD consumed more than half a liter of soft drinks a day. People who consumed that amount were 1.2 times more likely to have asthma and 1.7 times more likely to have COPD than those who did not consume soft ... Read more

Related support groups: Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Study Maps Path From Smoking to Emphysema in Mice

Posted 18 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 – Smoking activates certain genes and portions of the immune system, which in turn causes inflammation that leads to emphysema. So say researchers who mapped the destructive path from smoking to the debilitating lung disease in mice. "Previously, emphysema was thought to be a nonspecific injurious response to long-term smoke exposure," study author Dr. Farrah Kheradmand, a professor of medicine and immunology at Baylor College of Medicine, said in a college news release. "These studies show for the first time that emphysema is caused by a specific immune response induced by smoke." She and her colleagues spent more than four years unraveling how smoking leads to emphysema. They exposed mice to conditions that closely simulated how humans smoke. The mice developed emphysema within three to four months, and certain inflammatory cells and genes were crucial in the ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Vitamin D Won't Help Most COPD Patients: Study

Posted 17 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Jan. 17 – Vitamin D supplements don't seem to help most patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study by Belgian investigators. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the two main forms of COPD, and many sufferers have both. The condition makes it hard for people to breathe. Since most COPD patients are vitamin D deficient and vitamin D helps fight inflammation, the hope was that high doses of the sunshine vitamin would reduce the number of severe flare-ups ("exacerbations") that can land patients in the hospital, researchers said. "There are studies showing that patients with vitamin D deficiency are more susceptible to different inflammatory, infectious and autoimmune diseases, and most likely COPD," said lead investigator Dr. Wim Janssens, from the respiratory division at University Hospital Gasthuisberg in Leuven. However, ... Read more

Mice Exposed to Smoke Helped by Blood Pressure Drug: Study

Posted 7 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Jan. 6 – The blood pressure medicine losartan [Cozaar] helped prevent lung damage in mice that were exposed to cigarette smoke for two months, researchers say. Specifically, the drug prevented lung tissue breakdown, airway wall thickening, inflammation and lung overexpansion in the animals, according to the Johns Hopkins researchers. The findings have led to a clinical trial of losartan in people with smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). About 12 million Americans have COPD, which is the third leading cause of death in the United States. The study, published in the Jan. 3 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, was funded by drugmaker Merck & Co. and the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. "The results of our study in mice suggest that losartan or similar drugs could serve as an effective treatment for smoking-related lung diseases in ... Read more

Many Ignore Symptoms of Lung Disease, Study Finds

Posted 1 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 1 – Americans' awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is rising, but many of those at risk don't talk to their doctor about symptoms, according to a new survey by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Symptoms of COPD – the third-leading cause of death in the United States – include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, excess sputum production and a feeling of not being able to take a deep breath. COPD affects 24 million people in the United States, but as many as half of them haven't been diagnosed. The NHLBI Internet survey of almost 4,200 adults found that 71 percent of respondents said they are aware of COPD, compared with 65 percent in 2008. Awareness was highest among those most at risk, current and former smokers. Awareness was 78 percent among current smokers and 76 percent among former smokers, compared to 69 ... Read more

CT Scans May Pick Up COPD Early in Smokers

Posted 25 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 25 – Men with a history of heavy smoking who have a CT scan to look for lung cancer could benefit from a simultaneous check for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Dutch researchers suggest. It's estimated that smoking will cause more than 8 million deaths a year around the world in the coming decades. In addition to cardiovascular disease and cancer, COPD is a major cause of death in heavy smokers. Yet, it is under-diagnosed, and deaths from it are increasing, the researchers noted. CT-based lung cancer screening "may provide an opportunity to detect individuals with COPD at an early stage," said study author Dr. Pim A. de Jong, a radiologist at the University Medical Center Utrecht. "Early cessation of smoking can prevent COPD progression, underscoring the importance of early detection," de Jong said. "This CT-based detection may provide a possibility to ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Globally, 2 Million Deaths a Year Linked to Smoky Stoves

Posted 13 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Oct. 13 – Smoky, inefficient indoor cooking and heating stoves that are widely used by people in developing nations contribute to 2 million deaths a year, according to health experts. Indoor air pollution from these stoves affects about 3 billion people, or nearly half the world's population, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists wrote in a commentary published in the current issue of the journal Science. The biomass (wood, crop residues, charcoal or dung) or coal fuel used in these stoves fills homes with dense smoke and blackens walls and ceilings, increasing the risk of health problems such as pneumonia, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the scientists explained. Women and children are at greatest risk for health damage caused by these stoves because they're at home most of the time while men typically leave during the day. In ... Read more

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pneumonia, Lung Cancer

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