Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Latest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

World No Tobacco Day 2019: Respiratory groups urge to strengthen WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

On World No Tobacco Day, the American Thoracic Society, alongside members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, calls for renewed efforts to strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, in order to work towards achieving the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development to ensure a healthy life and promote well-being for all, at all ages.

3 Jun 2019

New statement highlights occupational burden of non-cancerous lung diseases

More than 1 in 10 people with a range of non-cancerous lung diseases may be sick as a result of inhaling vapors, gas, dust or fumes at work, according to a joint American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society statement published in the ATS’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

3 Jun 2019

Flash fire in patient's chest cavity during emergency heart surgery

At this year's Euroanaesthesia Congress (the annual meeting of the European Society of Anaesthesiology) in Vienna, Austria (1-3 June), doctors present the unique case of a man who suffered a flash fire in his chest cavity during emergency heart surgery caused by supplemental oxygen leaking from a ruptured lung.

3 Jun 2019

Research finds link between Toxoplasma gondii and lung cancer

Toxoplasma gondii, a microscopic parasite that gets inside our cells, is present in about 10% of the population in the UK.

30 May 2019

Steroid inhaler may reduce COPD patients' risk of lung cancer

For many people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, a steroid inhaler is a daily necessity to keep their airways open and help them to breathe.

28 May 2019

Piedmont Atlanta first in Georgia to offer new treatment option for people with emphysema

Piedmont Atlanta Hospital is the first in the state of Georgia to offer a new minimally invasive treatment for emphysema, a severe form of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

24 May 2019

Study finds substantial income-based differences in life expectancy both in Norway and USA

Inequalities in life expectancy by income in Norway were substantial, and increased between 2005 and 2015, according to a study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in collaboration with the Institute For Health Metrics And Evaluation.

14 May 2019

New technology to tackle the growing menace of indoor air pollution

Researchers are developing low-cost technologies to tackle indoor air pollution that is a growing menace. A new generation of electrostatic filters can capture even the smallest particles of household pollutants, using a little amount of energy.

11 May 2019

UIC to lead $14.6 million, multi-center COPD research project

The University of Illinois at Chicago will lead a $14.6 million, multi-center research project to determine which of two drugs -- azithromycin, an antibiotic, or roflumilast, an anti-inflammatory medication -- is the most effective at treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is also known as COPD.

10 May 2019

Researchers highlight the need for increased mental health care for smokers with COPD

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have published new information that stresses the need for increased mental health care for current and former smokers, especially those who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

9 May 2019

World Asthma Day: How climate change is increasing cases of asthma

A new report suggests that climate change is increasing and exacerbating cases of asthma, and clinicians need to become more 'knowledgeable' about the link.

7 May 2019

Smoking ban in prisons reduces levels of second-hand smoke

Levels of second-hand smoke in Scotland's prisons fell by more than 80 percent in the week after smoking was banned, according to new University of Stirling research.

7 May 2019

Adoption of new rules drops readmission penalties against safety net hospitals

Readmission penalties against hospitals providing care to socioeconomically disadvantaged patients have dropped 14 percentage points under new rules adopted in 2019 that more equitably account for low-income populations being served, according to a new analysis led by UT Southwestern Medical Center and Harvard researchers.

30 Apr 2019

The homeless are dying in record numbers on the streets of L.A.

A record number of homeless people — 918 last year alone — are dying across Los Angeles County, on bus benches, hillsides, railroad tracks and sidewalks.

24 Apr 2019

New review on relationship between COPD and Type 2 diabetes

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is characterized by a chronic airflow obstruction that is associated with severe global mortality and morbidity.

23 Apr 2019

Outpatient healthcare providers inappropriately prescribe antibiotics to 40% of patients

Outpatient healthcare providers inappropriately prescribed antibiotics to 40 percent of patients in a major Veterans Affairs healthcare system, a higher figure than in previous studies examining outpatient antibiotic use, according to a new study appearing in the American Journal of Infection Control, the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology published by Elsevier.

17 Apr 2019

BLF survey: Thousands with serious breathlessness may not be getting vital medical care

Thousands of people with serious breathlessness may not be getting the care they need, according to figures published today.

11 Apr 2019

MGH researchers provide insight into use of critical care resources

A study by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has found wide variation in the use of different hospital units - intensive care or general medical units - to deliver a type of advanced respiratory support called non-invasive ventilation.

8 Apr 2019

Dietary fiber could help prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Dietary fiber may be a new tool in the prevention of progressive lung disease, thanks to the production of anti-inflammatory short chain fatty acids, according to a new study by Australia's Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs at University of Newcastle, and the Centre for Inflammation, a partnership between The University of Technology Sydney and Centenary Institute.

5 Apr 2019

Bronchiectasis patients often display high sensitivity to airborne allergens

An international research team led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has found that patients with the lung disease bronchiectasis also often display sensitivity to airborne allergens, and has highlighted the particular role that fungi appear to play.

4 Apr 2019