COPD News

Among patients with bronchiectasis, inhaled antibiotics improved quality of life only in those with high bacterial load, according to data published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Air pollution appears to be associated with reduced lung function and an increased risk for COPD, especially among people with lower incomes, new study results published in the European Respiratory Journal suggest.

Among patients with COPD, combination treatment with a long-acting beta agonist plus a long-acting muscarinic antagonist was as effective as combination therapy with a LABA and an inhaled corticosteroid for preventing exacerbations while also being associated with fewer hospitalizations for severe pneumonia, new data published in CHEST indicate.

Use of a ratio of FEV1 to FVC less than 0.7 to define airflow obstruction was at least as accurate as other thresholds for predicting COPD-related hospitalizations and mortality, according to a study published in JAMA.

There is a strong correlation between the state-level incidences of COPD in both nonsmoking and currently smoking populations, indicating that in certain U.S. regions, nonsmoking adults are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke, according to a study published in MMWR.

Occupational hazards, which include inhaling vapors, gas, dust or fumes at work, may be responsible for a number of noncancerous lung diseases, according to a joint American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society statement.

New data suggest that the addition of clinical variables specifically associated with reduced survival in cystic fibrosis to the lung allocation score calculation improves prediction of disease severity among patients with advanced-stage cystic fibrosis awaiting lung transplant.

DALLAS — U.S. coal miner mortality from progressive massive fibrosis, a lethal form of black lung disease, has made a significant resurgence in recent years; however, a cause has yet to be determined, according to researchers.

Patients with poor sleep quality scores were at increased risk for exacerbations of COPD, according to 18-month follow-up results of the CanCOLD study.

A novel automated cough-sound analyzer technology incorporated in a smartphone app shows potential as a high-level diagnostic aid in the assessment of common pediatric respiratory diseases, according to results from a prospective, multicenter study published in Respiratory Research.