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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Blog

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

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Breo Ellipta Approved for COPD

Posted 2 days 9 hours ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, May 10 – Americans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may have new help in their quest to breathe better, with the approval of Breo Ellipta on Friday. This combination drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis or emphysema. COPD is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease and cancer, with typical symptoms including chronic cough, chest tightness and excess phlegm. Breo Ellipta (fluticasone furoate and vilanterol inhalation powder) is designed to reduce lung inflammation and to relax muscles that impact the lung airways, the FDA said Friday in a news release. The drug's safety and effectiveness were clinically evaluated in some 7,700 people with COPD. Common side effects included nasal inflammation, upper respiratory infection and headache. Less common but more serious side ... Read more

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COPD May Be Over-Diagnosed Among Uninsured

Posted 4 days ago by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, May 22 – Roughly four in 10 uninsured patients who have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) actually do not have the lung disease, a small new study suggests. At issue: Faulty diagnoses were made based on an evaluation of symptoms, rather than by means of the so-called "gold standard" disease test known as spirometry, which shows how well a patient's lungs are working by measuring the amount of air they can exhale and how long that takes. The study is scheduled for presentation Wednesday at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting in Philadelphia. The data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood ... Read more

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COPD Patients May Do Fine With Shorter Course of Steroids

Posted 5 days ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 21 – Less is more when it comes to steroid therapy for patients having severe bouts of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to Swiss investigators. Five days of glucocorticoid treatment with prednisone to treat COPD flare-ups was as good as the standard 14 days, but with fewer chances for adverse side effects, they said. "We wanted to show that a shorter period of treatment was not less effective than 14 days," said lead researcher Dr. Jorg Leuppi, with the department of medicine at the University Hospital of Basel. The shorter course of treatment had the same outcome as the longer course of treatment, the study found. "There is exactly the same time to recovery and exactly the same number of re-exacerbations," Leuppi said. In addition, the shorter course of treatment meant fewer side effects from the drug, such as increased blood pressure and elevated ... Read more

Pain a Common Problem for People With COPD

Posted 5 days ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 21 – Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients experience a significant amount of pain, new research suggests. Pain levels are nearly on par with the kind of discomfort experienced by many osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to the study, which is scheduled for presentation Tuesday at the American Thoracic Society annual meeting in Philadelphia. "Several studies have found high rates of pain medication use among COPD patients, and pain has also been an important determinant of overall health status and quality of life in COPD," study author Melissa Roberts, a senior research associate at the Lovelace Clinic Foundation in Albuquerque, N.M., said in a society news release. The researchers analyzed data on nearly 8,000 COPD patients over the age of 40. Nearly 16,000 other men and women not diagnosed with COPD also were included in the ... Read more

Related support groups: Pain, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Long-Term Use of Antibiotic May Help Those With COPD

Posted 5 days ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 21 – Thousands of Americans, many of them smokers or ex-smokers, suffer from the lung condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Now a new study finds that patients placed on the common antibiotic azithromycin may be able to cut down on hospitalizations due to flare-ups of the disease. "Given that exacerbations of COPD can be life-threatening, prevention of such events is critical," said Victoria Richards, assistant professor of medical science at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. Use of the antibiotic might also cut down on the need for doctor's office visits and boost patients' quality of life, said Richards, who was not involved in the study. The research was presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in Philadelphia. COPD is a progressive disease involving bronchitis and emphysema, often tied to smoking, that ... Read more

Certain COPD Meds Might Raise Heart Risks, Study Says

Posted 6 days ago by Drugs.com

MONDAY, May 20 – Long-acting inhaled medications used by millions of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may raise the risk of cardiovascular complications among older patients, a new large Canadian study reveals. The finding centers around patients over age 65 who are prescribed long-acting bronchodilators – either anticholinergics (such as Spiriva) or beta-agonists (such as Serevent). Both medications are commonly used to relieve the shortness of breath that characterizes moderate to severe COPD and to improve lung function. The team found that compared with patients who do not use either medication, those using either of these bronchodilators face a notably higher risk for experiencing a cardiac event, such as heart attack or heart failure. "The bad news is that, although everybody's different, there's a chance that by using these long-acting bronchodilators ... Read more

Allergies May Boost Severity of Lung Disease

Posted 16 days ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, May 10 – Hay fever and similar allergies increase the frequency and severity of respiratory problems in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study shows. COPD is a progressive lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. In this study, researchers looked at more than 1,400 patients with COPD, and found that those with allergies were much more likely than those without allergies to wheeze, to have chronic cough and chronic phlegm, to awake during the night because of cough, and to have a worsening of COPD symptoms that required antibiotics or a visit to the doctor. The study by the Johns Hopkins University researchers was published online May 10 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The findings suggest that treating allergies or avoiding allergy triggers may help reduce the number and severity of respiratory problems ... Read more

Related support groups: Allergies, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Lower Lung Function in Infancy Linked to Wheeze in Adulthood

Posted 18 Feb 2013 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Feb. 18 – Reduced lung function during infancy is linked to wheeze in adulthood, a new long-term study contends. Early reductions in airway function coupled with smoking later in life are significant factors in the development obstructive respiratory diseases in young adults, found the study published online Feb. 18 in JAMA Pediatrics. "To our knowledge, this study is the first to report an association between reduced lung function in infancy and wheeze beyond childhood," the authors wrote in a journal news release. Researchers led by Dr. David Mullane, of University College Cork in Ireland, analyzed the lung function in a group of participants born within a similar time period. The babies were tracked from the ages of 1 month all the way through 18 years. At 18 years of age, 150 of the participants were examined. Of these, 25 percent had recent wheeze and 13 percent had ... Read more

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15 Million in U.S. Have COPD, a Lung Disease

Posted 21 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21 – Fifteen million U.S. adults have diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and many more may have the debilitating condition but not know it, a new report says. COPD is the name for a group of progressive lung diseases, including bronchitis and emphysema, that make it difficult to breathe. Last year, 6.3 percent of U.S. adults reported having COPD. The prevalence ranged from a high of 9.3 percent in Kentucky to a low of 3.9 percent in Washington state. Incidence increased with age, with close to 12 percent of people 65 and older nationwide reporting COPD, according to a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some experts welcomed the report, said to be the first state-by-state analysis of COPD. "COPD continues to be overlooked and underdiagnosed in the U.S.," said Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill ... Read more

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Stroke Risk Rises in Seniors With COPD: Study

Posted 26 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 26 – Older people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at greater risk for plaque formation in the carotid artery, the large artery in the neck that carries blood to the brain, according to a new study. Researchers in the Netherlands also found patients with this progressive lung condition are more likely to have vulnerable fatty plaques, which increase their risk for stroke. "In our study, carotid artery wall thickening was increased twofold in older COPD patients compared with ['control' patients] with normal lung function, and COPD was an independent predictor of the presence of plaques with a lipid core, which are more prone to rupture," said one of the researchers, Dr. Bruno Stricker, professor of pharmaco-epidemiology at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The study was published online Oct. 26 in the American Journal of ... Read more

Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

COPD May Contribute to a Bad Night's Sleep

Posted 25 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 25 – People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to sleep poorly than their peers without this serious condition, a new study confirms. Their sleep quality may be associated with low oxygen levels in their arterial blood, the researchers found. "Patients with COPD frequently report fatigue, sleepiness and impaired quality of life," said Walter McNicholas, a professor in the department of respiratory and sleep medicine at St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. "The study carried out by our group, which has been researching sleep and breathing for more than 25 years, showed that such patients experience poor sleep quality, which may contribute to these debilitating symptoms." People with COPD have difficulty breathing because of lung damage, usually caused by smoking. The researchers conducted a secondary review of two previously ... Read more

Related support groups: Sleep Disorders, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Health Tip: Help Keep COPD in Check

Posted 31 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

-- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) is an umbrella term for lung diseases that make it difficult to breathe. Primary examples include chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute offers these suggestions to help keep COPD under control: Avoid exposure to lung irritants whenever possible. Have regular medical checkups. Perform daily activities slowly. Devise easier ways to perform daily chores, such as cooking and cleaning. Ask loved ones for help rearranging your home to avoid frequent use of stairs. Wear loose clothing that's easy to put on and take off. Read more

Human Airways' 'Brush' Mechanism Gives Clues to Lung Diseases

Posted 23 Aug 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Aug. 23 – A new study that helps explain how human airways rid the lungs of mucus could give insights into asthma, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers say. Human airways rely on mucus to expel foreign matter – including toxic and infectious particles – from the body, the study authors said in a news release from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "The air we breathe isn't exactly clean, and we take in many dangerous elements with every breath," study co-author Michael Rubinstein noted in the news release. "We need a mechanism to remove all the junk we breathe in, and the way it's done is with a very sticky gel called mucus that catches these particles and removes them with the help of tiny [hair-like] cilia," he explained. "The cilia are constantly beating, even while we sleep," Rubinstein said. "In a ... Read more

Related support groups: Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Cystic Fibrosis

Fatigue in COPD Patients Often Precedes Hospitalization: Study

Posted 14 Jun 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, June 14 – Fatigue could be used to predict the risk of hospitalization for people with a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study says. COPD refers to either emphysema or chronic bronchitis. Besides fatigue, symptoms include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Symptoms can rapidly worsen, making it hard to breathe, and such COPD flare-ups often put patients in the hospital. The new study findings could be used by doctors to reduce hospital admissions for people with COPD, which could improve patients' quality of life and decrease the economic impact of the disease, according to the researchers. They assessed 83 COPD patients and found that those with the most severe fatigue were almost 14 times more likely to be hospitalized within 20 months than those with the least fatigue. And the more severe the fatigue, the longer the ... Read more

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COPD Can Put a Damper on Sex Life

Posted 21 May 2012 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

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