COPD

According to the Centers for Disease Control, COPD is now the third leading cause of death in this country behind only heart disease and cancer. It is also the only leading cause of death that appears to be rising in numbers each year. One of the most important aspects of the disease is early recognition of symptoms. The earlier you are diagnosed, the sooner you can seek COPD treatment that may help improve your chances of survival.

If you think you think that you may be experiencing any type of respiratory symptoms, this easy, COPD self-assessment tool will help you determine if you need to see a doctor. Once you answer the questions, print out the page and take it to your doctor for further evaluation. Remember, the questionnaire should not replace specific medical advice from a qualified health care provider.

COPD Self-Assessment Screening Tool

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Pearl Therapeutics recently announced that they will be presenting clinical data about their newly developed drug PT003 in upcoming medical meetings at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco, California and the Respiratory Drug Delivery Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

PT003 is a combination drug developed to treat people with moderate to severe COPD. It contains a long-acting muscarinic (LAMA) and a long-acting beta agonist (LABA).

The presentations will include information that has not been previously reported, namely, that in Phase II trials, PT003 was found to be associated with a significant improvement in home peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) compared to placebo. These improvements were most significant in the morning and evening times, when many COPD patients experience a worsening of COPD symptoms. PT003 was also found to be associated with a reduction in albuterol (rescue) inhaler use.

According to Dr. Colin Reisner, chief medical officer and executive vice president of clinical development for Pearl Therapeutics:

"At ATS this year, we are presenting a compendium of Phase 2b clinical findings that provide further support for PT003 as a potential treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe COPD. It is well documented that patients with COPD experience worsening of their symptoms in the morning and evening. The significant improvement with twice-daily administration of PT003 vs placebo in home PEFR in both the morning and the evening pre- and post-dose assessments suggest that PT003 may provide benefit at the times when patients' symptoms are known to worsen. The potential benefits of this dual-peak effect following morning and evening dosing will be evaluated further in late-stage studies."

For more information and to read the full report, visit Pearl Therapeutics.

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Studies suggest that there is a significant link between heart disease and COPD with each condition having the potential to complicate the other.

In a University of California Irvine study, researchers examined the severity of COPD in 6,266 middle-aged adults in relation to their risk for heart disease. Study results concluded the proportion of patients who were at greatest risk for heart disease progressively increased with the severity of COPD and that cardiovascular risk factors strongly influence outcomes for patients with COPD. How can these findings benefit COPD patients?

In addition to standard COPD treatment, patients who are at greater risk for heart disease may very well benefit from early and aggressive treatment to help reduce these risks. One way this can be approached is through statin therapy. Statins are medications that help lower cholesterol, which in turn helps reduce the risk for heart disease-related events. Statin therapy may also improve outcomes in COPD.

In conclusion, treatment geared toward modifying risk factors for cardiovascular events in patients with COPD may also help prevent early mortality. This is something that should be openly discussed with your physician at your next doctor's appointment.

Read more about reducing your risk for heart disease:

• Assess Your Risk for Heart Disease
• How Should I Deal With High Heart Disease Risk?
• Cholesterol and Triglycerides: What You Need to Know

^Source:

^{Lee, Hwa MU, MD, FCCP et. al. Relation Between COPD Severity and
Global Cardiovascular Risk in US Adults. CHEST 2012. DOI: 10.1378/chest.11-2421.}

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A New England study suggests that both short and long-term exposure to particle pollution, also known as particulate matter (PM), can lead to increased risk of hospitalizations, especially for those 65 years and older with COPD or other respiratory illnesses, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

How does air pollution impact hospital admissions for those with lung disease? The study determined that, for every 10-µg/m³ increase in short term exposure to particle pollution,  there is a 0.70 percent increase in hospital admissions. At the same time, for every 10-µg/m³ increase in long term exposure, there is a 4.22 percent increase in hospitalizations. Particle pollution is also linked to reduced lung function, pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress, each of which can have a profound effect on your health.

How can you reduce your exposure to air pollution? Here are just a few suggestions:

• Pay close attention to weather alerts and stay indoors when air quality is poor.
• Use a particle mask to filter the air your breathe when time outdoors is unavoidable. Compare prices of air filtration masks.
• Reduce or eliminate exposure to fireplaces or wood-burning stoves.
• Take steps to improve your indoor air quality.
• Avoid using gas-powered lawn or gardening equipment.
• Avoid exposure to burning trash, leaves or anything else.
• Plan your day so you take fewer trips in your car.
  

For more information, read:

• Air Pollution and COPD
• Occupational COPD
• 10 Steps to Better Indoor Air
• 23 Common COPD Triggers and How to Avoid Them
• The Health Hazards of Wood Burning Stoves
• How to Prevent COPD Exacerbation

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^Source:

^{Itai Kloog, Brent A. Coull,Antonella Zanobetti,Petros Koutrakis,and Joel D. Schwartz1. PLoS One. Acute and Chronic Effects of Particles on Hospital Admissions in New-England2012. Published online 2012 April 17. 10.1371/journal.pone.0034664}

Because your opinion is what matters most to the overall success of this website, I would like to ask you a few more questions to make sure I am meeting your needs.

This poll want to know, if we do have a second newsletter, what special interest topics you would like to explore further. Please cast your vote!

Don't forget, If you have any other ideas, please leave your comments below.

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Many Guides who maintain websites on About.com send out two weekly newsletters; one at the beginning of the week and one at the end. That said, I am considering adding a second newsletter to the COPD site that would have a special focus, which has not yet been determined.

Please take the attached poll and let me know if you would be interested in a second newsletter, or, if it would just go into your trash! Either way, I am just trying to find out the interest level.

Also, if you have any ideas about what you would want the second newsletter to focus on -- diet, exercise, things the doctor should have told you -- please leave your comments below.

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Between doctor's appointments, lung function testing, new medications, blood tests and pulmonary rehab, now you're being asked to stop doing certain things that may be making your COPD worse? The good news is, that many have you have already chosen to make some serious changes, which is awesome! But there are some changes that could benefit your condition in which you may not be aware:

10 Things to Stop Doing if You Have COPD

For more 10 things, read the following from my honored colleagues:

• 10 Things to Stop Doing When You Quit Smoking
• 10 Things to Stop Doing on a Low-Carb Diet
• 10 Things to Stop Doing if You Have an Addictive Personality
• 10 Things to Stop Doing if You Love an Alcoholic
• 10 Things to Stop Doing if You Have Low Back Pain

To learn more about 10 things you should stop doing for a variety of reasons, read the entire list brought to you by About.com:

10 Things to Stop Doing

What changes have you already made? What weren't you aware of that you may now try? Please share your comments and suggestions below.

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It has been previously established that peptic ulcer disease is more prevalent in people who smoke or have COPD. But, while the overall prevalence of peptic ulcer disease is decreasing, bleeding from peptic ulcers is on the rise. Until now, little has been known about the association between peptic ulcer bleeding and COPD. A recent study set out to determine if, indeed, there is a link.

During the study, researchers evaluated information collected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance research database using a total of 62,876 subjects. Of these, 32,682 patients (study group) had COPD, while 32,682 (control group)  did not.

Study results concluded that COPD patients do have a higher risk of bleeding from peptic ulcers. This could be for a number of reasons:

1. COPD is characterized by inflammation, both in the lungs and throughout the body. Inflammation is associated with oxidative stress, which may damage the GI tract.
2. People with COPD have other smoking related illnesses, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease and heart failure, each of which may be treated with medications that thin the blood and increase the risk of bleeding, such as aspirin, NSAIDS and coumadin.
3. Many people with COPD use steroids to control inflammation. Steroids may possibly delay healing of peptic ulcers.

Important risk factors that may contribute to peptic ulcer bleeding in COPD patients include being older than 65, being male, having high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, kidney disease, a history of peptic ulcer disease and using NSAIDS. In contrast, having coronary artery disease, using aspirin, steroids and non-aspirin anti-platelent (blood-thinning) agents were not found to be contributing factors to an increased risk of bleeding.

Do you have COPD and peptic ulcer disease? Please take the above poll and leave a comment below.

_Source:

_{K.-W. Huang et. al.  Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Independent Risk Factor for COPD. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2012;35(7):796-802.}

COPD is now the third leading cause of death in this country. Early detection, therefore, is paramount to a patient's overall COPD treatment success. A new study suggests that elevated serum (blood) levels of a protein known as heat shock protein (HSP) 27 may allow doctors to identify signs of COPD much earlier, potentially leading to earlier treatment and better outcomes.

The study consisted of a small sample of 120 generally healthy smokers (with an average age of 43) who underwent both lung function and blood testing. Ninety-four of the 120 participants also volunteered for a CT scan. Nearly 58% of those who had a CT showed pathological findings of either air trapping (early sign of COPD) alone or both air trapping and emphysema, each of which was previously unidentified. Participants who had air trapping and emphysema were also found to have significantly higher levels of HSP27 compared to those whose CT scans were normal. Interestingly enough, lung function did not correlate with either elevated HSP27 or pathological findings identified using a CT scan.

The study concluded that elevated HSP27 blood levels correlated with early signs of COPD as seen with a CT scan. Lung function, on-the-other-hand, did not correlate with either elevated HSP27 blood levels of pathological results found with a CT scan. This means that elevated HSP27 blood levels may help identify COPD earlier, without consideration of lung function test results in middle-aged smokers.

In which stage was your COPD diagnosed? How important would this test have been for you when your diagnosis was initially made? Please comment below.

_Source:

_{Hendrik Jan Ankersmit et. al. Increased Serum Levels of HSP27 as a Marker for Incipient Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Young Smokers}. _{International Journal of Thoracic Medicine. Vol. 83, No. 5, 2012.}

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Ah, the pleasing sensation of the menthol cigarette as it cools the back of your throat; its refreshing, minty sensation masking what's really going on, physiologically, when you smoke. Why would adding menthol to cigarettes be more harmful than cigarettes without menthol when they feel so pleasant going down?

There has been an ongoing debate among researchers, the FDA and the public, about whether smoking menthol cigarettes imposes greater health risks than smoking non-mentholated cigarettes.

Thus far, research is very limited as to whether the risk of heart and lung diseases is greater by smoking menthol vs non-menthol cigarettes. One study reports that people who smoke menthol cigarettes actually have a lower risk of lung cancer than those who smoke non-mentholated cigarettes. Another study blames the tobacco industry for adding menthol to cigarettes purposefully, to make them harder to quit. The more difficult it is to quit, the more cigarettes the tobacco industry sells; the more cigarettes they sell, the greater risk of tobacco-related illnesses. The more tobacco-related illnesses, the more money for the health industry. And so on and so forth.

In an article published yesterday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, author Nicholas T. Vozoris MHSc, MD, FRCPC,  summarized data gathered from the 2001-2008  US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The study's purpose; to find out if the risk of heart and lung diseases was greater in those who smoked menthol cigarettes compared to those who smoked non-menthol cigarettes.

The study consisted of 5,167 smokers who were at least 20 years old. Of these, 1,286 (nearly 26%) smoked menthol cigarettes compared to 3,742 (about 74%) who smoked non-menthol cigarettes.

Results concluded that overall, those who smoked menthol cigarettes had slightly more than twice the risk of developing stroke than the comparison group. Furthermore, women and non-African Americans who smoked menthol cigarettes had more than three times the risk of stroke than those who smoked non-menthol cigarettes. No significant link was found, however, between smoking menthol cigarettes and high blood pressure, heart attack, congestive heart failure (CHF) or COPD.

While the author points out that there may be other possible reasons for the association between menthol cigarettes and stroke, he concludes:

"These results highlight the need for further review of  the last legally allowed tobacco additive in North America, given that mentholated cigarettes may be placing individuals at even greater risk of potentially devastating cerebrovascular disease than regular cigarettes".

Read "What is a Stroke" to learn more about causes, symptoms and treatment of the different types of stroke.

_Sources:

_{Anderson, SJ. Menthol Cigarettes and Smoking Cessation Behavior: A review of tobacco industry documents. Tob Control. 2011 May;20 Suppl 2:ii49-56.}

_{Rostron B. Lung Cancer Mortality Risk for U.S. Menthol Cigarette Smokers. Nicotine Tob Res. 2012 Mar 1. [Epub ahead of print]}

_{Vozoris, Nicholas T. MHSc, MD, FRCPC.  Mentholated Cigarettes and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Diseases: A Population-Based Study. Archives of Internal Medicine/Vol 172 (NO. 7), APR 9, 2012.}

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