Concordance between FVC and FEV for identifying chronic airflow obstruction and spirometric restriction in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study.

Introduction: We investigated whether the forced expiratory volume in 6 s (FEV) can be used as a surrogate for the forced vital capacity (FVC).

Methods: The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease is a multinational cohort study. At baseline, data were collected from adults, aged 40 years or older, from 41 sites across 34 countries.

How People with COPD Perceive and Communicate Exacerbations: A Multicountry Survey Study.

Background And Objective: Exacerbations negatively impact quality of life of people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and can accelerate disease progression. Studies suggest that patients find it difficult to recognize exacerbations and, therefore, under-report exacerbations. We aimed to understand how people living with COPD perceive and communicate their experiences of exacerbations.

Trends in initial pharmacological treatment of asthma in primary care (2010-2021): A population-based study using the PHARMO data network.

Introduction: Real-world evidence of asthma management in primary care is limited but of paramount importance for improving care quality. This study described the trends of initial pharmacological treatments prescribed by Dutch general practitioners (GPs) from 2010 to 2021.

Methods: This was a repeated cross-sectional study of adults with asthma using the PHARMO data network.

Does long COVID in people living with HIV resemble the functional phenotype of non-HIV individuals who had moderate or severe acute COVID-19? A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Introduction: It has been postulated that individuals with long COVID have reduced exercise capacity, just as people living with HIV (PLWH), although having even lower exercise capacity. The extent to which long COVID in PLWH resembles long COVID in individuals who presented different COVID-19 phenotypes is unknown, so we aimed to determine if the long COVID profile in PLWH resembled the symptoms experienced by individuals with long COVID following mild/moderate or severe acute COVID-19, 2 years after the initial disease.

Material And Methods: A pulmonary function test and a 6-min walk test (6MWT) were performed on adult individuals with PACS (Post-Acute COVID Syndrome) in 3 groups: COVID-19+PLWH (plwHCOV), mild/moderate COVID-19 (mmCOV); severe COVID-19 (seCOV).

Developing a multi-feature fusion model for exacerbation classification in asthma and COPD.

Background And Objective: Deteriorations in respiratory health, also known as exacerbations, are important events in the progression of chronic respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma. Changes in vocal characteristics during episodes of respiratory distress suggest that voice analysis could be a valuable tool for monitoring exacerbations. This study aims to develop a remote monitoring method for automatically detecting exacerbations in COPD and asthma patients using only speech data.

Quality of life associated with breathlessness in the multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study: A cross-sectional analysis.

Introduction: Evidence of an association between breathlessness and quality of life from population-based studies is limited. We aimed to investigate the association of both physical and mental quality of life with breathlessness across several low-, middle- and high-income countries.

Methods: We analysed data from 19 714 adults (31 sites, 25 countries) from the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study.

Bronchodilator responsiveness and future chronic airflow obstruction: a multinational longitudinal study.

Background: Bronchodilator responsiveness testing is mainly used for diagnosing asthma. We aimed to investigate whether it is associated with progression to chronic airflow obstruction over time.

Methods: The multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease cohort study surveyed adults, aged 40 years and above, at baseline and followed them up after a mean of 9.

Out of Breath, out of Options: Benralizumab as a Last Hope in ICU-Treated Near-Fatal Eosinophilic Asthma: A Case Series.

Asthma exacerbations remain life-threatening events despite advancements in biologic therapies. This case series reports on four patients with near-fatal eosinophilic asthma exacerbations who had been admitted to intensive care and were treated with benralizumab as a last resort after failing maximal standard therapies. All patients exhibited marked blood or airway eosinophilia and required intensive care ventilatory support.

Trends in initial pharmacological COPD treatment in primary care (2010-2021): a population-based study using the PHARMO Data Network.

Background: Pharmacological treatment is a cornerstone of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management, with general practitioners providing the most care. However, the lack of data on prescribing trends in initial pharmacotherapy in primary care hinders the understanding of how scientific and technical developments impact patient care and may also perpetuate suboptimal practices. Hence, this study aims to analyze trends in the initial pharmacological treatment of newly diagnosed COPD patients in Dutch primary care from 2010 to 2021.

Clinical importance of patient-reported outcome measures in severe asthma: results from U-BIOPRED.

Rationale: Knowledge about the clinical importance of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in severe asthma is limited.

Objectives: To assess whether and to what extent asthma exacerbations affect changes in PROMS over time and asthma-specific PROMs can predict exacerbations in adult patients with severe asthma in usual care.

Methods: Data of 421 patients with severe asthma (62% female; mean age 51.

GOLD COPD Exacerbation History Categories and Disease Outcomes.

Importance: Previous exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) are associated with future events. For more than a decade, patients at high risk have been defined as individuals with a history of 2 or more moderate ECOPD, 1 or more severe ECOPD, or both within 12 months, and treatments have been allocated accordingly, but these cutoffs lack validation.

Objectives: To validate ECOPD history categories by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and explore alternative cutoffs to estimate moderate and severe ECOPD and all-cause mortality in COPD.

Successful treatment of a persistent air leak with an endobronchial valve in a 17-year-old patient with necrotizing pneumonia.

Pleural empyema is a severe condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Treatment usually consists of pleural drainage with chest tube or surgery, in combination with antimicrobial treatment. Severe pneumonia can evolve in a necrotizing pneumonia, given a higher susceptibility to the occurrence of bronchopleural fistulas with persistent air leaks.

Symptom burden and its associations with clinical characteristics in patients with COPD: a clustering approach.

Background: Symptom burden in patients with COPD is often under-recognised. In this cross-sectional analysis, we aimed to study the severity of a variety of (non-)respiratory symptoms in patients with and without COPD and to explore the associations between clusters based on symptom severity and other clinical characteristics.

Methods: Characteristics were assessed in 538 patients with COPD from primary, secondary and tertiary care and 116 non-COPD participants.

Lung Hyperinflation as Treatable Trait in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Narrative Review.

Lung hyperinflation (LH) is a common clinical feature in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It results from a combination of reduced elastic lung recoil as a consequence of irreversible destruction of lung parenchyma and expiratory airflow limitation. LH is an important determinant of morbidity and mortality in COPD, partially independent of the degree of airflow limitation.

Vitamin D Status and Longitudinal Changes in Body Composition in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Alterations in body weight and composition are common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and are independent predictors for morbidity and mortality. Low vitamin D status is also more prevalent in patients with COPD compared to controls and has been related to lower lung function, muscle atrophy and impaired musculoskeletal function. This study aimed to evaluate the association between vitamin D levels and status with body composition (BC), as well as with its changes over time.

ERS International Congress 2023: highlights from the Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology Assembly.

It is a challenge to keep abreast of all the clinical and scientific advances in the field of respiratory medicine. This article contains an overview of laboratory-based science, clinical trials and qualitative research that were presented during the 2023 European Respiratory Society International Congress within the sessions from the five groups of Assembly 1 (Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology). Selected presentations are summarised from a wide range of topics: clinical problems, rehabilitation and chronic care, general practice and primary care, electronic/mobile health (e-health/m-health), clinical respiratory physiology, exercise and functional imaging.

Effects of Asthma on the Performance of Activities of Daily Living: A Retrospective Study.

The study aim was to identify the most problematic self--reported activities of daily living (ADLs). In a retrospective study, 1935 problematic ADLs were reported by 538 clients with 95% experiencing two or more problematic ADLs. Problematic ADLs were assessed by occupational therapists using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure with walking (67%), household activities (41%), and climbing the stairs (41%) identified as the most prevalent problematic ADLs.

Alterations in stride-to-stride fluctuations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during a self-paced treadmill 6-minute walk test.

Evaluating variability and stability using measures for nonlinear dynamics may provide additional insight into the structure of the locomotor system, reflecting the neuromuscular system's organization of gait. This is in particular of interest when this system is affected by a respiratory disease and it's extrapulmonary manifestations. This study assessed stride-to-stride fluctuations and gait stability in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during a self-paced, treadmill 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and its association with clinical outcomes.

Taenia martis Neurocysticercosis-Like Lesion in Child, Associated with Local Source, the Netherlands.

A neurocysticercosis-like lesion in an 11-year-old boy in the Netherlands was determined to be caused by the zoonotic Taenia martis tapeworm. Subsequent testing revealed that 15% of wild martens tested in that region were infected with T. martis tapeworms with 100% genetic similarity; thus, the infection source was most likely local.

Effects of ActiGraph's filter, epoch length and non-wearing time algorithm on step counts in people with COPD.

The influence of the ActiGraph® processing criteria on estimating step counts in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the influence of filters, epoch lengths and non-wearing time (NWT) algorithms on steps/day in people with COPD. ActiGraph GT3X+ was worn on the waist for seven days.