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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named groups of people at a high risk of developing serious complications from H1N1 Influenza.
In keeping with the last two subpopulation releases which were focused on pregnant women and breastfeeding moms, the Sedgwick County Health Department will continue to send monthly releases focused on different subgroups.
Currently, one of the highest-priority groups consists of persons with chronic respiratory conditions.
These types of conditions, including asthma and heart disease, often arise from smoking.
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Why do some smokers develop lung disease and others don't? And just how effective is supplemental oxygen therapy in treating patients with emphysema?
The University of Michigan Health System will try to find out, through two new multi-center research studies that seek to improve diagnosis and treatment for millions of people affected by emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other lung diseases. Together, those conditions are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Both studies are now accepting new participants.
While smoking is the leading cause of COPD, only 25 percent of smokers develop the disease. For the COPDGeneTM study, U-M will enroll hundreds of current or former smokers - with and without COPD - between 45 and 80 years of age to discover the inherited factors that make some people more likely to develop COPD. U-M is one of 21 leading medical centers participating in the study, which will enroll more than 12,000 people across the United States.
COPDGeneTM is one of the first COPD studies to include a large percentage of African American participants.
Consultant respiratory physician Dr Emrys Evans says it is important to diagnose people with chronic lung conditions as early as possible
Awareness of certain chronic lung conditions in Wales is "dangerously low", says a charity.
British Lung Foundation Wales is especially worried because of the high rates of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in parts of Wales.
COPD is a term for lung conditions including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which are caused mostly by smoking but also by exposure to dust.
The charity is raising awareness of the disease on Tuesday, World COPD Day.
ALL smokers and people with a family history of lung disease should have access to a lung function test every three years, says a charity.
The British Lung Foundation believes the provision of such tests in Wales would mean more people are diagnosed with lung diseases earlier.
This would help improve their quality of life and reduce the long-term burden on NHS services.
But stigma and a lack of understanding about symptoms means that an estimated three-quarters of people with lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in Wales have not been diagnosed.
The call for routine testing comes ahead of World COPD day on Wednesday.
Dr Emrys Evans, a respiratory consultant at Morriston Hospital, in Swansea, said: "A lot of patients seem to accept symptoms, assume there is no underlying condition and that they will go away.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is becoming a global public health problem and an economic burden. The World Health Organization estimates that, by 2030, COPD will be the third leading cause of death worldwide (1). The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease, in collaboration with health-care professionals and COPD patient groups throughout the world, is sponsoring World COPD Day on November 18, 2009. The aim of World COPD Day is to raise awareness about COPD and improve COPD care throughout the world.
Tobacco smoking is the most important risk factor for the development and progression of COPD.
Most Americans are aware of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but less than half know that the serious lung disease can be treated, according to national survey results released this week by the U.S. government as part of National COPD Awareness Month in November.
COPD affects 20 percent of U.S. adults over age 45. Half of the 24 million people in the United States with COPD remain undiagnosed even though they have symptoms, such as wheezing, chronic cough, or shortness of breath while doing activities that used to be easy.
Smoking causes 80 percent of cases of COPD (including chronic bronchitis and emphysema), while the remaining cases are caused by other environmental exposures or genetics.
Tobacco smoke is involved in uncontrolled asthma, a diminished response to anti-asthma drugs, rhinitis, nasal obstruction, and deregulation of the immune system according to an international expert at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla.
Tobacco smoking has been mainly associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is attributed to being one of the main reasons that COPD disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
"Recent studies have shown that smoking can be linked with other respiratory diseases such as asthma exacerbations and rhinitis," said Carlos Baena-Cagnani, M.D., faculty of medicine, at Catholic University of Cordoba in Argentina. "Both active and passive smoking has been shown to be involved in uncontrolled asthma and associated with asthma exacerbations in children and adolescents."
According to Dr. Baena-Cagnani, active smoking also causes changes in inflammation in asthma patients, diminishes their response to anti-asthma drugs, and has been found to induce nasal obstruction and decreased mucociliary clearance.
Indacaterol, an investigational long-acting beta2-agonist, showed benefits over both placebo and salmeterol (Serevent) for moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a randomized trial, researchers reported here.
Through 26 weeks, the drug significantly improved bronchodilation, health status, and dyspnea over both control arms, although the benefits reached clinical importance over the placebo group only, according to Oliver Kornmann, MD, of Mainz University Hospital in Germany.
Indacaterol "shows a trend toward improvement over salmeterol," he reported at the American College of Chest Physicians meeting.
Action Points
* Explain to interested patients that indacaterol has not been approved in either the U.S. or Europe.
* Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
New study results showed that 42.3 percent of smokers with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who took CHANTIX/CHAMPIX® (varenicline) were able to quit smoking and remain abstinent during the last four weeks of treatment (weeks 9-12) compared with 8.8 percent of those given placebo (p<0.0001). These findings were presented by investigators at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).
"Quitting smoking is of paramount importance for all smokers, particularly those with a smoking-related illness, such as COPD," said Dr. Donald Tashkin, study investigator, emeritus professor of medicine at University of California, Los Angeles. "This study shows that varenicline is an effective means of smoking cessation for a highly nicotine-dependent, difficult-to-treat group of patients. The safety profile of varenicline in this study was consistent with its pre-approval clinical trials."
Up to one-half of all people who smoke may eventually develop COPD,
Much as it aided the general population of smokers, varenicline (Chantix) helped patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) quit too, a randomized trial showed.
From weeks nine to 12 of treatment, 42.3% of those taking varenicline remained abstinent, compared with 8.8% of those taking placebo (P<0.001), Donald Tashkin, MD, of the University of California Los Angeles, reported at the American College of Chest Physicians meeting here.
Also, a significantly greater number of patients taking varenicline remained abstinent from weeks nine through 52 (18.6% versus 5.6%, P<0.001), a secondary endpoint.
The magnitude of these benefits is similar to those observed in the pivotal trials of varenicline used in the FDA approval process, Tashkin said.
* Explain to interested patients that varenicline is one of two smoking-cessation medications recommended as first-line treatment for helping patients quit.
* Explain that this study showed that patients with COPD who smoked derived the same benefits from varenicline -- with similar side effects -- as the general population of smokers.
* Explain to interested patients that this analysis fails to support suggestions that women may respond differently to COPD treatment.
SAN DIEGO -- Men and women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) derive comparable benefits from treatment with tiotropium (Spiriva), researchers found.
A secondary analysis of a large clinical trial found improvements of similar magnitude in lung function, exacerbations, and health-related quality of life in both genders, according to Donald Tashkin, MD, of the University of California Los Angeles.
Realtors use a phrase to describe their key to success: location, location, location. Similarly, your doctor will offer a three-dose prescription for COPD relief: quit smoking, quit smoking, quit smoking.
While a small number of cases of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) can be attributed to a rare genetic enzyme deficiency, the majority of the 16 million Americans suffering breath-restricting COPD can directly link their condition to tobacco use.
Smoking damages your lungs irreversibly. But for people with moderate symptoms of COPD, there have been some recent advances in medication and symptom control that can significantly improve their quality of life.
A survey by the Australian Lung Foundation found 46 per cent of Queenslanders aged over 35 admit to being smokers, or to having been smokers in the past.
Dr Kwun Fong from Brisbane's Prince Charles Hospital says 600,000 cases of lung disease were reported in Queensland between 2007 and 2008.
He says smoking is one of the most common causes.
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
This 10-week study is for people aged 40 to 80 who have been diagnosed with COPD.
The research site is in Phoenix, Ariz.
More information
Please see http://www.clinicalconnection.com/clinical_trials/condition/copd.aspx.
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Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
This study is for people who have chronic stable heart failure and have an ejection fraction of less than 40 percent. Participants will have an echocardiogram and will be asked to stay overnight. Compensation for time and travel is available up to $2,750 if you qualify.
The research site is in Tustin, Calif.
Please see http://www.clinicalconnection.com/clinical_trials/condition/heart_failure.aspx.