COPD Spirometry is fundamental to making a diagnosis of COPD and a confident diagnosis of COPD can only be made with spirometry. However, there is no single diagnostic test for COPD. Making a diagnosis relies on clinical judgement based on a combination of history, physical examination and confirmation of the presence of airflow…
Screening smokers with spirometry for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) picks up more cases than symptom-based detection, research suggests. The authors say the findings highlight the need for more screening in primary care, which is seldom used at present. “Despite current and updated GOLD [Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease] guidelines…
What causes asthma? The exact cause of asthma isn’t known. It’s possible that a combination of genetics and environmental exposures interact to cause asthma to develop, most often early in life. Risk factors for developing asthma include: Atopy, an inherited tendency to develop allergies Certain respiratory infections during childhood Contact with airborne allergens Exposure…
What is asthma? Asthma is a serious, sometimes life-threatening respiratory disease that affects the lungs and the quality of life for millions of Americans. Asthma affects people of all ages, but frequently begins in childhood. More than 22 million Americans are known to have asthma; 6 million people diagnosed with asthma are children….
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables may help reduce asthma symptoms, according to a recent study. But if you’re one of the 25 million Americans with the breathing disorder, the take-away message is not that you should rely solely on dietary improvements. “One of the dangers here is that people pick up this headline and say, well, I don’t…
Based on studies of mice, experts at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City are suggesting that leptin, a hormone involved in energy metabolism, appetite, fertility, and building bone mass, may play a key role in the link between asthma and obesity — and possibly lead to development of a leptin-based treatment for weight-related asthma. The…
Patients with asthma have an increased risk for pulmonary embolism, show Dutch findings. In particular, patients with a severe case of the disease are most at risk. “This is the first time a link has been found between asthma and pulmonary embolism and we believe these results have important clinical implications,” said Christof Majoor (Academic Medical Center,…
A woman’s exposure to high pollen levels in late pregnancy increases the risk of earlyasthma in the child, according to a group of researchers at Sweden’s Ume- University in a recent study. A number of studies have previously shown that there is an association with being born during a pollen season and an increased risk…