COPD

Inhaler-delivered drug is a once-daily maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD, including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.

In a phase 4 trial, combination salmeterol/fluticasone produced similar relief from COPD as indacaterol.

Once confirmation of an asthma diagnosis is made, most primary care physicians can manage the condition and need refer only challenging cases to a pulmonologist.

New research suggests elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who participate in pulmonary rehabilitation programs have improved 10-year survival.

Do asthma and COPD share enough characteristics such as reduced rate of airflow resulting from increased inflammation, along with similar responses to some forms of treatment, reduce the importance of differential diagnosis?

Although the mechanisms of disease severity for this form of asthma are not fully understood, progress has been made in identifying promising targets for new treatments.

The FDA has approved Anoro Ellipta (umeclidinium and vilanterol inhalation powder) for the once-daily, long-term maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD.

Presentation at the 2013 Southern Hospital Medicine Conference reviewed the clinical application of several key risk indices, including the Revised Cardiac Risk Index and the Vascular Study Group of New England Risk Index.

Suma Jain, MD, a pulmonologist at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, provides a clinical update on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

The REDUCE randomized clinical trial determined that 40 mg prednisone administered daily for 5 days wasn't inferior to 14 days of treatment in a placebo-controlled, double-blind setting.

Doctors treating patients for COPD exacerbations may have recourse to a variety of treatments, including some off-label applications of existing drugs, and smoking cessation may result in a reduction of repeat occurrences.

Study finds hyponatremia is an independent predictor of increased mortality, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications in patients who undergo cardiac surgery.

Data from the PARTNER cohort A trial show transcatheter aortic valve replacement produces similar mortality rates at one year compared with the standard procedure.

Marijuana contains many of the irritating chemicals found in tobacco, but smoking it occasionally does not result in long-term loss of lung function, a recent study indicates.

What can hospitalists do to diagnose COPD at the time of an exacerbation, and become better at acute management of the disease?

According to the results from a 2008 study, patients with COPD may be at increased risk for GERD.

Researchers have identified new compounds that may provide relief from shortness of breath for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.

Vitamin D supplements may help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease get more from their pulmonary rehabilitation programs.

The FDA has approved Daliresp to reduce the risk of COPD exacerbations in patients with severe COPD.

Patients with COPD are at greater risk of herpes zoster, and the risk is greatest for patients taking oral steroids to treat COPD.

Research illuminates cause of lung inflammation in emphysema and how augmentation therapy can improve quality of life in patients with this disease.

In recognition of COPD Awareness month, we present study findings that look at the link between poor diet and lung function, and provide COPD resources.

Being a relative newcomer to the field, I face new medical, ethical, technical situations on a daily basis, a reminder that learning does not end with medical school and residency.

It takes a gutsy person to sign up for a plenary session with that title. From the moment she took the podium, Grace Anne Dorney Koppel captivated a small audience with her moving story of her struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its many co-morbidities. With steely resolve, she challenged the physicians in the audience to step up their efforts to diagnose and treat a disease that currently affects more than 24 million Americans.

Victor Kim, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, discusses chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk factors, and current research and developments in the treatments of COPD.