BACKGROUND Patients with COPD might not report mild exacerbation. The frequency, risk factors, and impact of mild exacerbation on COPD status are unknown. OBJECTIVES The present study was performed to compare features between mild exacerbation and moderate or severe exacerbation in Japanese patients with COPD. PATIENTS AND METHODS An observational COPD cohort was designed at Keio University...

To identify a predictive value for the exacerbation status of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) subjects, we evaluated the relationship between pulmonary vascular measurements on chest CT and severe COPD exacerbation.Six hundred three subjects enrolled in the COPDGene population were included and divided into nonexacerbator (n = 313) and severe exacerbator (n = 290) groups, based on ...

Acute exacerbation is a frequent complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recent studies suggested a role for bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae in the development of acute exacerbation. For this study, we investigated the following in COPD patients: (i) the epidemiology of pneumococcal colonization and infection, (ii) the effect of pneumococcal colonization on the d...

BACKGROUND The prognosis of Japanese patients with COPD who suffer repeated exacerbations is unclear, although Westerners with such episodes have a poor prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a 1-year prospective observational trial involving 90 Japanese patients with COPD: 58 nonexacerbators, 12 infrequent exacerbators, and 20 frequent exacerbators classified on the basis of exacerbat...

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations account for a substantial proportion of COPD-related costs. OBJECTIVE To describe COPD exacerbation patterns and assess the association between exacerbation frequency and health care resource utilization (HCRU) and costs in patients with COPD in a Medicare population. METHODS A retrospective cohort study utilizing data fr...

BACKGROUND Reactivation of HBV replication with an increase in serum HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity has been reported in 20-50% of hepatitis B carriers undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy for cancer treatment. Manifestation of HBV reactivation ranges from asymptomatic self-limiting hepatitis to severe progressive hepatic failure and fatal consequences. AIM To investigate th...

OBJECTIVE There is increasing evidence that vitamin D can be protective against the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), but it may also be beneficial for the clinical course of the disease. Our objective was to prospectively investigate if 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25-OH-D) levels are associated with exacerbation risk in MS in a study with frequent serum measurements. METHODS This was a prosp...

BACKGROUND Irreversible airflow obstruction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is thought to result from airway remodelling associated with aberrant inflammation. Patients who experience frequent episodes of acute deterioration in symptoms and lung function, termed exacerbations, experience a faster decline in their lung function, and thus over time greater disease severity However...

BACKGROUND Acute exacerbations, which are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity, adversely affect chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prognosis by accelerating loss of lung function. It is important to know the microorganisms that commonly cause exacerbations in the patient groups classified according to clinical and functional characteristics for fast and accurate treatment o...

INTRODUCTION COPD exacerbations have a negative impact on lung function, decrease quality of life (QoL) and increase the risk of death. The objective of this study was to assess the course of health status after an outpatient or inpatient exacerbation in patients with COPD. METHODS This is an epidemiological, prospective, multicentre study that was conducted in 79 hospitals and primary care c...