Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Latest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Sexual dysfunction ‘ignored in COPD’

Researchers say that physicians should address sexual issues in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as a matter of course, after finding that over three-quarters of men with the condition have some level of erectile dysfunction.

15 Oct 2013

Drug treatment ineffective for acute bronchitis

A study published in the BMJ indicates that neither oral antibiotics nor nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are more effective than placebo for the treatment of acute bronchitis.

14 Oct 2013

Pulmonary rehabilitation underused in COPD

Data from an Australian hospital show that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients admitted for exacerbations are rarely referred for pulmonary rehabilitation, despite it being strongly recommended by national treatment guidelines.

11 Oct 2013

Hypothyroidism linked to COPD exacerbation risk

Research shows that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with hypothyroidism have an elevated exacerbation frequency but, despite this, experience similar quality of life to patients with normal thyroid function.

8 Oct 2013

Gas transfer excels in predicting mortality in COPD

Researchers say that measuring gas transfer is the most effective way to predict mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, after finding that it outperformed both spirometry and plethysmography for the purpose.

3 Oct 2013

Precise value of EXACT in COPD uncertain

EXACT is effective in assessing exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the outpatient setting, a study shows.

1 Oct 2013

Vitamin D levels linked to emphysema

Researchers have found a relationship between emphysema and serum vitamin D levels, suggesting that the vitamin may play a role in modulating lung structure.

30 Sep 2013

Chronic bronchitis linked to poor asthma outcomes

Researchers have found that chronic bronchitis is associated with worse clinical outcomes in asthma, particularly among smokers.

26 Sep 2013

PneumRx performs over 1500 RePneu LVRC treatments for patients with severe emphysema

PneumRx, Inc., a leader in interventional pulmonology, announced that over 1500 procedures have been performed using the RePneu Lung Volume Reduction Coil System for patients with severe emphysema.

26 Sep 2013

Reduced physical activity in COPD not just disease related

Researchers from the Netherlands have shown that physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is influenced by both physical and psychosocial factors.

25 Sep 2013

Targeted radiation therapy may offer safe treatment option for elderly pancreatic cancer patients

A highly targeted cancer radiation therapy may offer a safe and effective treatment option for elderly pancreatic cancer patients unable to undergo surgery or combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

25 Sep 2013

Major role for body weight in COPD, asthma risk

Results from a large study in Italy show that increasing body weight is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma risk, independent of smoking history.

24 Sep 2013

Mild COPD phenotype discovery offers treatment hope

Research indicates that smokers with and without mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be classified into distinct phenotypes on the basis of computed tomography findings.

23 Sep 2013

European Commission and Japan approve once-daily dual bronchodilator Ultibro Breezhaler (QVA149) nearly simultaneously, for COPD patients

Novartis announced today that the European Commission approved once-daily Ultibro® Breezhaler® (indacaterol 85 mcg / glycopyrronium 43 mcg) as a maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) approved once-daily Ultibro® Inhalation Capsules (glycopyrronium 50 mcg / indacaterol 110 mcg), delivered through the Breezhaler® device, for relief of various symptoms due to airway obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ultibro® Breezhaler® / Ultibro® Inhalation Capsules were developed under the name QVA149.

23 Sep 2013

UNC receives grants from FDA and NIH to establish Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received two separate grants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health today as part of an on-going interagency partnership. UNC will house two of 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science, which are receiving a total of up to $53 million for tobacco-related research in fiscal year 2013.

21 Sep 2013

Inhaled corticosteroid increases risk for pneumonia reoccurrence

A University of Alberta researcher says health professionals should be cautious about prescribing inhaled corticosteroids to high-risk patients such as pneumonia survivors, citing a twofold risk for repeat infection.

19 Sep 2013

GERD prevalence raised even in mild–moderate COPD, bronchiectasis

Researchers from Australia have found that the rate of gastroesophageal reflux disease is twice as high in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or bronchiectasis as in people without lung disease.

18 Sep 2013

Emotional stress, cognitive impairment linked to early hospital readmission of heart patients

Heart patients' mental state and thinking abilities may help predict whether costly and potentially dangerous early hospital readmission will follow their release after treatment, according to the results of a significant new study by Henry Ford Hospital researchers.

18 Sep 2013

Dual-pronged approach to diabetes and COPD needed

Researchers from the USA have found that patients with diabetes and a history of smoking have significantly impaired lung function, even in the absence of overt chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

17 Sep 2013

Attention drawn to COPD in never smokers

Research from Denmark shows that, while never smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease typically experience milder disease than their smoking counterparts, they still have substantial morbidity due to COPD- and pneumonia-related hospital admissions.

16 Sep 2013