Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Blog

Soy in the Diet May Protect Lung Function

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, June 26 – Consuming lots of soy foods such as tofu and soy milk may improve lung function and lower the chances of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), new research suggests.

Researchers asked 300 COPD patients in Japan and 340 age-matched healthy people about their soy intake. The results, published online in the journal Respiratory Research, indicate that consumption of soy products is associated with better lung function and reduced risk of COPD.

Long-term smoking causes 90 percent of cases of COPD, which is characterized by a progressive decline in lung function and includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, according to background information provided in a news release from the journal's publisher. Read more...

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Healthier Lifestyle Can Cut COPD Symptoms

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, May 20 – A lifestyle intervention program that promoted exercise, healthy eating and quitting smoking improved the health of people with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and was cost-effective, a new study shows.

The patients in the study were randomly assigned to receive usual care or to participate in an interdisciplinary, community-based program (INTERCOM). The first four months of the intervention program featured intensive lifestyle moderation. That was followed by 20 months of less intensive maintenance in which the patients were offered guidance but not rigorous intervention. Read more...

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- Acute, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD, Maintenance

Pot, Cigarette Smoke Wreaks Havoc on Lungs

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, April 13 – People who smoke cigarettes and marijuana increase their risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease almost threefold, but smoking pot alone doesn't seem to increase the risk of the deadly lung condition, researchers report.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive condition with no cure that's characterized by diseased lungs and narrowed airways. Most cases are caused by prolonged smoking, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Read more...

Related support groups: Smoking, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Cannabis

Swallowing-Breathing Dysfunction Worsens Lung Disorder

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 26 – A disrupted breathing-swallowing pattern may explain why people with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk for aspiration pneumonia, researchers report.

Patients with moderate to severe COPD show alterations between normal breathing and swallowing patterns (during eating) even when they're not experiencing exacerbations, according to the study by Roxann Diez Gross and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh. Read more...

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- Acute, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD, Maintenance

Researchers Suspect Genetic Link to COPD

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, March 20 – Gene variants that may be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been identified by Boston University School of Medicine researchers.

They studied 7,691 participants in the Framingham Heart Study in an attempt to identify a relationship between common genetic variants and measures of lung function. This led them to gene variants on chromosome 4 that could be a potential risk factor for the disease, known as COPD. Read more...

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- Acute, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD, Maintenance

Genes May Decide Which Smokers Get Lung Disease

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 11 – Genes may be the reason why one-quarter of smokers develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while the rest aren't afflicted with the serious breathing problem, U.S. researchers conclude.

They studied a gene called ADAM33 in 880 long-term heavy smokers with and without COPD. Previous research has linked ADAM33, which is located on chromosome 20, with asthma.

The researchers from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Saint Louis University identified five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) – human DNA sequence variations – in ADAM33 that were more common in smokers with COPD than in those without the disease.

There was a particularly strong link between an SNP called S1 and lung abnormalities. Read more...

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- Acute, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD, Maintenance

Mom Was Right: Eat Your Broccoli

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 5 – A compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may help prevent respiratory inflammation linked to diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a University of California, Los Angeles, study.

The compound sulforaphane stimulates increased production of antioxidant enzymes in the airway that protect against the large amounts of tissue-damaging free radicals humans breathe in every day in polluted air, pollen, diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke. This tissue damage can lead to inflammation. Read more...

Related support groups: Asthma, Allergic Asthma, Hay Fever, Asthma -- Acute, Asthma -- Maintenance, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease -- Acute, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD, Maintenance

Inhaled Corticosteroids Boost Pneumonia Risk in COPD

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 9 – The use of inhalers containing corticosteroids to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) might increase the risk of pneumonia by as much as 70 percent, researchers report.

Inhaled corticosteroids, used to treat asthma, are not approved for use in COPD patients. However, one product that is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, Advair, combines steroids with a beta-antagonist and is approved to treat COPD. A similar product, Symbicort, marketed by AstraZeneca, is currently under consideration for use in COPD patients. Read more...

Related support groups: Advair Diskus, Advair HFA, Symbicort, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Steroid Inhalers Raise Pneumonia Risk for Lung Disease Patients

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 25 – A new review of existing data confirms that some common inhalers don't boost the life spans of people with the lung disease known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

In fact, these medicines may even raise the risk of pneumonia in patients with COPD, the fourth biggest killer in the United States.

But patients shouldn't stop using the inhalers without consulting their doctors first, because the devices still provide benefit in some cases, said review lead author Dr. M. Bradley Drummond.

"It's about balancing the known benefits with potential risks," said Drummond, a fellow in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Read more...

Related support groups: Pulmicort Flexhaler, Pulmicort Nebuamp, Pulmicort Respules, Pulmicort Turbuhaler, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Long-Term Erythromycin Cut COPD Complications

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Nov. 21 – People with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be able to reduce the frequency of exacerbations through a regular, low dose of a common antibiotic, a new report says.

The study, published in the first issue for December of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that twice-daily 250-milligram doses of erythromycin reduced exacerbations by as much as 35 percent.

The double-blind, placebo study found that more than twice as many COPD-related hospitalizations occurred among the placebo group, and that the median duration of the exacerbations was nine days in the erythromycin group, compared with 13 days in the placebo group. Read more...

Related support groups: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease