Excessive iron build-up in the lungs could be a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Weill Cornell Medicine scientists find in a new study. The investigators also believe that they have identified the culprit for the excess: A gene they previously found to increase patients’ susceptibility to the progressive lung disease. For their…
In analyzing 51 different flavored e-cigarettes, author of the study Joseph Allen and his team found at least one of three top toxins — diacetyl, acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione — in 47 of the e-cigs. Not only that, “the amount of diacetyl in 39 of the e-cigs exceeded the amount that was able to be detected…
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both health conditions involving the respiratory system and can lead to difficulty breathing. There is some overlap between the two conditions and it is estimated that approximately 40% of patients with COPD also suffer from asthma. However, there are some distinct differences between the two conditions, in…
In a recent study published in Respiratory Magazine, patients with COPD and other chronic respiratory disorders who received music therapy in conjunction with standard rehabilitation saw an improvement in symptoms, quality of life, and psychological well-being when compared to patients who received only rehabilitation. The results of the study, conducted by researchers at The Louis…
Children who are raised in households with dogs or farm animals during their first year of life may have a lower risk of asthma a few years later, a new study suggests. In the study, the researchers looked at early exposure to dogs and farm animals and the rate of asthma among about 377,000 preschool-age…
If post-bronchodilator spirometry is required for the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), why doesn’t every single primary care physician do it? A University-based Primary Care Clinic (PCC) analysis revealed that only 19% of patients with COPD had undergone spirometry testing, which determines how well the lungs work by measuring oxygen flow. With COPD…
Personalized medicine was a key theme here at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress 2015, especially for complicated diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and interstitial lung fibrosis. “We’re using platforms that measure genes and proteins and metabolomic consequences of the disease, and trying to work backward from those profiles to mechanistic…
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often display inhibited mitochondrial protein pathways, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Researchers from Brown University examined healthy patients’ and smoking patients’ lung samples in order to demonstrate that the expression of the pathways in immune responses is decreased in COPD patients. The…