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Background: Poor health status has been associated with morbidity and mortality in patients with COPD. To date, the impact of changes in health status on these outcomes remains unknown.
Aims: To explore the relationship of clinically relevant changes in health status with exacerbation, hospitalisation or death in patients with COPD.
Methods: Characteristics and health status (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire, SGRQ) were assessed over a period of 3 years in 2138 patients with COPD enrolled in the Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints (ECLIPSE) study: a longitudinal, prospective, observational study. Associations between change in health status (=4 units in SGRQ score) during year 1 and time to first exacerbation, hospitalisation and death during 2-year follow-up were assessed using Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank test.
Results: 1832 (85.7%) patients (age 63.4±7.0 years, 65.4% male, FEV1 48.7±15.6% predicted) underwent assessment at baseline and 1 year. Compared with those who deteriorated, patients with improved or stable health status in year 1 have a lower likelihood of exacerbation (HR 0.78 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.89), p<0.001 and 0.84 (0.73 to 0.97), p=0.016, respectively), hospitalisation (0.72 (0.58 to 0.90), p=0.004 and 0.77 (0.62 to 0.96), p=0.023, respectively) or dying (0.61 (0.39 to 0.95), p=0.027 and 0.58 (0.37 to 0.92), p=0.019, respectively) during 2-year follow-up. This effect persisted after stratification for age and the number of exacerbations and hospitalisations during the first year of the study.
Conclusions: Patients with stable or improved health status during year 1 of ECLIPSE had a lower likelihood of exacerbation, hospitalisation or dying during 2-year follow-up. Interventions that stabilise and improve health status may also improve outcomes in patients with COPD.
Trial Registration Number: NCT00292552, registered at ClinicalTrials.gov.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2014-205697 | DOI Listing |
BMC Glob Public Health
September 2025
Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) - Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP), Kilifi, Kenya.
Background: Between November 2023 and March 2024, coastal Kenya experienced another wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections detected through our continued genomic surveillance. Herein, we report the clinical and genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 infections from 179 individuals (a total of 185 positive samples) residing in the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) area (~ 900 km).
Methods: We analyzed genetic, clinical, and epidemiological data from SARS-CoV-2 positive cases across pediatric inpatient, health facility outpatient, and homestead community surveillance platforms.
Fluids Barriers CNS
September 2025
Department of Medical Sciences, Neurology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Background: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) predominantly manifests with gait disturbances, yet clinical assessments are vulnerable to confirmation bias, particularly post-shunt surgery. Blinded video evaluations are a method to enhance objectivity in gait assessment, but their reliability has never been systematically investigated. The aim was to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of blinded gait assessments in iNPH patients and to investigate how these assessments correlate with the Hellström iNPH scale and patient-reported health status following shunt surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Infect Dis
September 2025
Department Health and Prevention, Institute of Psychology, University of Greifswald, Robert-Blum-Str. 13, Greifswald, 17489, Germany.
Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) played a crucial role in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to increased workloads, they were confronted with stigmatization due to their work in the health sector.
Methods: Guided by the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework (HSDF), this study aimed to explore the experiences of stigmatization of HCWs in Germany using semi-structured interviews (N = 34) and investigate effective coping strategies and existing needs in this context.
BMC Health Serv Res
September 2025
Institute of General Practice, Rostock University Medical Center, Doberaner Str. 142, Rostock, 18057, Germany.
Background: Post-viral syndromes, including long- and post-COVID, often lead to persistent symptoms such as fatigue and dyspnoea, affecting patients' daily lives and ability to work. The COVI-Care M-V trial examines whether interprofessional, patient-centred teleconsultations, initiated by general practitioners in cooperation with specialists, can help reduce symptom burden and improve care for patients.
Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention under routine care conditions, a cluster-randomised controlled trial is being conducted.