OBJECTIVE β-Blockers are safe and improve survival in patients with both congestive heart failure (CHF) and COPD. However, the superiority of different types of β-blockers is still unclear among patients with CHF and COPD. The association between β-blockers and CHF exacerbation as well as COPD exacerbation remains unclear. The objective of this study was to compare the outcome of different β-bl...

BACKGROUND Viruses are important triggers of asthma exacerbations. They are also detected outside of exacerbation. Alteration of anti-viral response in asthmatic patients has been shown although the mechanisms responsible for this defect remain unclear. The objective of this study was to compare in virus-infected and not-infected allergic asthmatic children, aged 6 to 16 years, admitted to hosp...

BACKGROUND Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and its inhibitor tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) are involved in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, no study so far has addressed their value as noninvasive biomarkers of airways inflammation. OBJECTIVE To evaluate MMP-9 and TIMP-1 concentrations in the ...

BACKGROUND Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, chronic respiratory disease with a significant socioeconomic burden. Exacerbations, the sudden and sustained worsening of symptoms, can lead to hospitalization and reduce quality of life. Major limitations of previous telemonitoring interventions for COPD include low compliance, lack of consensus on what constitutes an ex...

Review scope Included studies compared combined ICS plus LABA (ICS/LABA) inhalers (fluticasone and salmeterol [FPS] or budesonide and formoterol [BDF]) with the same LABA alone in adults > 40 years of age who had stable COPD and had not had an exacerbation in the past month. Studies of patients who had partial reversibility on pulmonary function testing were included. Studies that included pati...

Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cause morbidity, hospital admissions, and mortality, and strongly influence health-related quality of life. Some patients are prone to frequent exacerbations, which are associated with considerable physiologic deterioration and increased airway inflammation. About half of COPD exacerbations are caused or triggered primarily by bacter...

BACKGROUND Bacterial infections of the lower airways during an exacerbation in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be the cause of an exacerbation or the consequence of a viral infection or an increase in airways limitation. To determine whether bacterial infection is an important component in the pathogenesis of an exacerbation, the effects of antimicrobial...

BACKGROUND There are limited data describing patients with moderate COPD exacerbations and evaluating comparative effectiveness of maintenance treatments in this patient population. The study examined COPD patients with moderate COPD exacerbations. COPD-related outcomes were compared between patients initiating fluticasone propionate-salmeterol 250/50 mcg (FSC) vs anticholinergics (ACs) followi...

PURPOSE Exacerbation-associated health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with severe and very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is ill-defined. This study describes patterns, HRQoL, and the work productivity impact of COPD-related moderate and SEV exacerbations in patients with SEV/VSEV COPD, focusing on the chronic bronchitis subtype. PATIENTS AND METHODS A US sam...

Purpose COPD is a heterogeneous disease, and the available prognostic indexes are therefore limited. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with acute exacerbation leading to hospitalization. Patients and methods This was a retrospective study of consecutive patients with COPD (meeting the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD] diagnostic criteria) hospital...