Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Latest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

COPD-related inflammation prevented in experimental model

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD for short, is believed to be the third most common cause of death worldwide. However, because the underlying mechanism is still largely unknown, today's treatments can only slow progression of the disease.

3 May 2018

New population of lung stem cells may be key for regenerating airways after injury

The human airway is a system of branching tubes that connects the nose and mouth with the lungs and allows us to inhale air, extract the vital oxygen, and exhale the waste product carbon dioxide.

12 Apr 2018

ATS Foundation and Insmed to provide $50,000 funding for NTM lung disease research

The ATS Foundation is pleased to announce a new ATS Foundation/Insmed Research Award in Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Lung Disease, which will provide one year of funding support in the amount of $50,000.

12 Apr 2018

Researchers suggest alternative therapy for heart attack patients with beta blocker intolerance

Beta blockers have become a prescription drug staple for recovering heart attack patients. However, these blood pressure-reducing medications cannot be tolerated by many patients who are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease, including those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, the elderly, and diabetics.

10 Apr 2018

Study finds high COPD prevalence among China's adult population

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is widespread in China with 8.6 percent of the country's adult population - almost 100 million people -suffering from the chronic lung disease, according to a new Tulane University study published in The Lancet.

10 Apr 2018

Effective pulmonary rehabilitation for persons with COPD in Germany

In Germany, 13.2% of the population older than 40 are affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). By 2020, COPD will be the third most common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

29 Mar 2018

UC researcher granted patent for potential pulmonary infection treatment

A researcher in the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine has been granted a U.S. patent for a potential treatment for a pulmonary infection in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

27 Mar 2018

Measles infection in early childhood could contribute to later COPD

In a new Respirology study, having measles—a highly contagious respiratory infection—during early childhood was linked with an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in middle age, but only in adults with asthma and a considerable history of smoking.

21 Mar 2018

Researchers identify new treatment targets for lung diseases using big data

Every year, approximately 12 million adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and 120,000 die from it. For people with COPD, Haemophilus influenzae, a bacterium, can be particularly dangerous.

20 Mar 2018

Genetic variant discovery could improve safety, effectiveness of drugs for asthma and COPD

Research from the University of Liverpool, published today in Lancet Respiratory Medicine, identifies a genetic variant that could improve the safety and effectiveness of corticosteroids, drugs that are used to treat a range of common and rare conditions including asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

16 Mar 2018

Study finds underreporting of mining-related injuries and illness in Illinois

Illnesses and injuries associated with working in Illinois mines are substantially underreported to the federal agency tasked with tracking these events, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

9 Mar 2018

Environmental exposures affect genes linked to respiratory diseases much more than genetic ancestry

Researchers have found strong evidence that environmental exposures, including air pollution, affect gene expressions associated with respiratory diseases much more than genetic ancestry.

6 Mar 2018

Respiratory disease patients with arthritis struggle to use complex inhalers

Respiratory disease patients with arthritis could struggle to manage their conditions because their inhalers are too fiddly for them to use, University of Bath research has found.

23 Feb 2018

Women exposed to cleaning products suffer decreased lung function, finds study

A new study has found that females who use cleaning products at home or are employed as cleaners are more prone to the risks of deteriorated lung function than women who do not clean.

16 Feb 2018

California joins states that would evict veterans who seek aid-in-dying option

California voters passed a law two years ago that allows terminally ill people to take lethal drugs to end their lives, but controversy is growing over a newer rule that effectively bans that option in the state's eight veterans' homes.

13 Feb 2018

Doctors learn how to talk to patients about dying

Lynn Black’s mother-in-law, who had lupus and lung cancer, was rushed into a hospital intensive care unit last summer with shortness of breath. As she lay in bed, intubated and unresponsive, a parade of doctors told the family “all good news.”

12 Feb 2018

Chinese researchers report first clinical trial based on autologous lung stem cell transplantation

A research team from Tongji University in China have made a breakthrough in human lung regeneration technology. For the first time, researchers have regenerated patients' damaged lungs using autologous lung stem cell transplantation in a pilot clinical trial.

9 Feb 2018

Pilot study tests home hospital model for acutely ill adults in the U.S.

A pilot study by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital reimagines the best place to care for select, acutely ill adults.

8 Feb 2018

Airway-branch variations linked to greater risk of COPD

The internal anatomy of our lungs is surprisingly variable, and some of those variations are associated with a greater risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study led by researchers at McGill University and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center has found.

6 Feb 2018

Canon Medical Systems UK achieves carbon offset milestone

Medical imaging innovators, Canon Medical Systems UK, has today announced a sustainable milestone offsetting 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from ultrasound, X-ray, CT or MRI systems installed into UK hospitals over the past 3.5 years.

6 Feb 2018