An international team of researchers has discovered a direct link between eating fish, fruit and dairy products with improved lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study, which is being presented at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2014 International Conference, specifically examined COPD patients’ lung function within 24 hours of consuming…
A group of drugs commonly prescribed for insomnia, anxiety and breathing issues “significantly increase the risk” that older people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, need to visit a doctor or Emergency Department for respiratory reasons, new research has found. Benzodiazepines, such as Ativan or Xanax, may actually contribute to respiratory problems, such as…
A significant knowledge gap about smoking cessation practices among perinatal substance abuse staff at a single center means pregnant women are often not being counseled about the dangers of tobacco and encouraged to quit, new research suggests. Perinatal substance abuse counselors from the Johns Hopkins Center for Addiction and Pregnancy in Baltimore, Maryland, fared significantly…
The spread of poor diets with large amounts of processed food, fat and refined sugar could be leading to increasing levels of inflammation in the body and, as a result, contributing to increased asthma prevalence, say researchers. The researchers looked at the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) in people with asthma compared with healthy controls…
Exercise might help reduce the risk of hospital readmission in people with a progressive lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a new study finds. “Our findings suggest that regular physical activity could buffer the stresses of hospitalization,” said study author Huong Nguyen, of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research and…
A retrospective study of almost 39,000 patients shows that opportunities to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at an earlier stage are frequently being missed in both primary and secondary care in the UK. The findings, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, reveal missed opportunities to diagnose COPD occurred in up to 85 percent of…
Spirometry is the gold standard for the diagnosis and management of both Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). The earlier you detect the disease and its state; the easier and faster you can treat your patients. Spirometry is good medicine. The patients you see every day in your office can be correctly diagnosed…
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are diagnosed with COPD, but experts believe that the actual number of people affected with this disease is double the official figure reported. COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a serious lung disease that blocks the airway and can cause extensive damage to the organ. Most people…