Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Study finds COPD is over-diagnosed among uninsured patients

More than 40 percent of patients being treated for COPD at a federally funded clinic did not have the disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with spirometry, the diagnostic "gold standard" for chronic obstructive ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 22, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Shorter duration steroid therapy may offer similar effectiveness in reducing COPD exacerbations

Among patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring hospital admission, a 5-day glucocorticoid treatment course was non-inferior (not worse than) to a 14-day course with regard ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Race and gender influence diagnosis of COPD

African-Americans are less likely than whites and women are more likely than men to have had a prior diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regardless of their current disease severity, according to a new ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Study shows COPD is associated with significant and persistent pain

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is primarily associated with the respiratory symptoms that are its hallmark, but in fact, patients who struggle with the disease also experience significant amounts of chronic ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Inflammation is associated with depression in COPD patients

Depression is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been linked with disease severity and impaired quality of life. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Exercise levels may predict hospitalizations in COPD population

Clinical measurement of physical activity appears to be an independent predictor of whether or not patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will end up being hospitalized, according to a new study conducted ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Antibiotic therapy appears beneficial for patients with COPD

Extended use of a common antibiotic may prolong the time between hospitalizations for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter study which compared ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New factor to control oncogene-induced senescence

An article published on the journal Nature describes the major role that Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) —an enzyme of cellular energy metabolism— plays in the regulation of the cellular senescence induce ...

Cancer created May 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Bronchodilators appear associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events

A study of older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suggests that new use of the long-acting bronchodilators β-agonists and anticholinergics was associated with similar increased risks of cardiovascular ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Combined wood and tobacco smoke exposure increases risk and symptoms of COPD

People who are consistently exposed to both wood smoke and tobacco smoke are at a greater risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for experiencing more frequent and severe symptoms of the disease, ...

Health created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Tiny, implantable coil promises hope for emphysema patients

A small, easily implantable device called the Lung Volume Reduction Coil (LVRC) may play a key role in the treatment of two types of emphysema, according to a study conducted in Europe. Results of the study indicate the beneficial ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New study identifies risk factors for depression among COPD patients

Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) typically suffer from depression more frequently than those without COPD, resulting in higher levels of disability and illness and increasing the overall ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 20, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Clinical support for patient self-management is rhetoric rather than reality

The processes to allow people to self-manage their own illness are not being used appropriately by health professionals to the benefit of their patients, new research suggests.

Health created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Elan enters $1B royalty deal with Theravance

Irish drugmaker Elan Corp. PLC plans to pay $1 billion for the right to future royalties from four respiratory treatments being developed by Theravance Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline.

Medications created May 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Allergic disease worsens respiratory symptoms and exacerbations in COPD

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also have allergic disease have higher levels of respiratory symptoms and are at higher risk for COPD exacerbations, according to a new study from researchers ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created May 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known as chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD), chronic obstructive airway disease (COAD), chronic airflow limitation (CAL) and chronic obstructive respiratory disease (CORD), is the co-occurrence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of commonly co-existing diseases of the lungs in which the airways become narrowed. This leads to a limitation of the flow of air to and from the lungs, causing shortness of breath (dyspnea). In clinical practice, COPD is defined by its characteristically low airflow on lung function tests. In contrast to asthma, this limitation is poorly reversible and usually gets progressively worse over time. In England, an estimated 842,100 of 50 million people have a diagnosis of COPD.

COPD is caused by noxious particles or gas, most commonly from tobacco smoking, which triggers an abnormal inflammatory response in the lung.

The diagnosis of COPD requires lung function tests. Important management strategies are smoking cessation, vaccinations, rehabilitation, and drug therapy (often using inhalers). Some patients go on to require long-term oxygen therapy or lung transplantation.

Worldwide, COPD ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in 1990. It is projected to be the fourth leading cause of death worldwide by 2030 due to an increase in smoking rates and demographic changes in many countries. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and the economic burden of COPD in the U.S. in 2007 was $42.6 billion in health care costs and lost productivity.

This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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