Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Latest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Cannabinoids can contribute to negative respiratory health events in older adults with COPD

Cannabinoids, a class of prescription pills that contain synthetically-made chemicals found in marijuana, are associated with a 64 per cent increase in death among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the first published data on the impact of cannabinoids on the respiratory health of individuals with the lung disease.

30 Sep 2020

Sleep apnea increases risk of severe COVID 19

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. A subset of COVID-19 patients face a severe form of the disease with hospitalization, respiratory failure, or death. Severe COVID-19 is primarily characterized by respiratory distress, and the common risk factors are older age, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and poor lung function.

29 Sep 2020

Inhaled corticosteroids may not increase COVID-19 mortality

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the first line of treatment to counter the inflammatory pathology in several conditions, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Now, a new study published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine in September 2020 reports on the actual role of ICS in reducing COVID-19 mortality.

28 Sep 2020

Study reveals the differences in non-COVID-19 hospital admissions during rebound period

While declines in U.S. hospital admissions during the onset of COVID-19 has been well-documented, little is known about how admissions during the rebound varied by age, insurance coverage and socioeconomic groups.

26 Sep 2020

Social inequities in Black and South Asian immigrants increase risk of severe COVID-19 infection

Black, South Asian and Aboriginal populations from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in Canada are nearly four times more likely to have three or more medical conditions that have been identified as risk factors for severe illness from COVID-19.

25 Sep 2020

Older racial and ethnic minority nursing home residents suffer the most from COVID-19

Older racial and ethnic minority residents and their caregivers bear the severest brunt from COVID-19 across the entire spectrum of US nursing homes and assisted living communities, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report in two groundbreaking studies in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

21 Sep 2020

Federal program to reduce hospital readmission for COPD patients may increase mortality rates

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found that while the 30-day readmission rate for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has decreased, the mortality rate has increased.

12 Sep 2020

Obamacare co-ops down from 23 to final ‘3 little miracles’

New Mexico Health Connections' decision to close at year's end will leave just three of the 23 nonprofit health insurance co-ops that sprang from the Affordable Care Act.

9 Sep 2020

Study shows why coronavirus is more dangerous in people with comorbidities

Why is the COVID-19 virus more dangerous in people with comorbidities?. Sadis Matalon, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues in Texas and San Francisco asked that question in a hypothesis paper published online in Physiological Reviews on March 27.

3 Sep 2020

Novel technique to detect the fungus responsible for causing severe pneumonia

Research staff of the University of Valencia and the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community, among other institutions, have developed a very sensitive and fast in-vitro method for the diagnosis of infection by Pneumocystis jirovecii, a fungus that causes severe pneumonia.

2 Sep 2020

Majority of U.S. COVID-19 fatalities had underlying medical conditions

Early on in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, there was little data on the virus and how it affects the body. As the virus spread across the globe, data showed that some people were at a higher risk of developing severe disease and dying from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

31 Aug 2020

Human gut microbes play an important role in maintaining health

Bacteria and other microorganisms in the digestive tract are linked with dozens of health conditions including high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and body mass index (BMI) according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2020.

27 Aug 2020

Inhaled steroids reduce SARS-CoV-2-related genes in COPD

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* aims to explore the effects of treatment with ICS on the expression of specific genes related to SARS-CoV-2 infection in bronchial epithelial cells in a prospective interventional design.

25 Aug 2020

Scientific review on on link between air pollution and COVID-19

Researchers at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have conducted a “state-of-the-science” review of the evidence available on potential associations between exposure to air pollution and health outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

23 Aug 2020

COVID-19 patients most likely readmitted to hospital for respiratory distress, study finds

This study describes characteristics of patients with COVID-19 who returned to the ER or required readmission to the hospital within 14 days of being discharged. Understanding what conditions impact these patient outcomes can help improve care during the hospital stay and after discharge.

21 Aug 2020

Post-mortem study of dead COVID-19 patients finds lung damage and blood clots

A new post-mortem study of patients who have died from COVID-19 found severe damage to the lungs and signs of blood clotting in major organs.

20 Aug 2020

Smokers more likely to experience severe COVID-19 symptoms

Researchers in Germany and Turkey have conducted a study showing that tobacco smoking is associated with an increased risk of more severe disease in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

18 Aug 2020

Researchers may have discovered the key to treating inflammatory diseases

A Rutgers-led team may have found the key to treating inflammatory diseases like asthma, allergies, chronic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

17 Aug 2020

New clinical practice guidelines on optimal management of patients with COPD

A subcommittee of the American Thoracic Society Assembly in Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology has released new clinical practice guidelinesto help advise clinicians on the optimal management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic hypercapnia. Hypercapnia is the buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.

17 Aug 2020