Recently, many researchers paid more attentions to the association between air pollution and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Haze, a severe form of outdoor air pollution, affected most parts of northern and eastern China in the past winter. In China, studies have been performed to evaluate the impact of outdoor air pollution and biomass smoke exposure on COPD; and most studies have focused on the role of air pollution in acutely triggering symptoms and exacerbations. Few studies have examined the role of air pollution in inducing pathophysiological changes that characterise COPD. Evidence showed that outdoor air pollution affects lung function in both children and adults and triggers exacerbations of COPD symptoms. Hence outdoor air pollution may be considered a risk factor for COPD mortality. However, evidence to date has been suggestive (not conclusive) that chronic exposure to outdoor air pollution increases the prevalence and incidence of COPD. Cross-sectional studies showed biomass smoke exposure is a risk factor for COPD. A long-term retrospective study and a long-term prospective cohort study showed that biomass smoke exposure reductions were associated with a reduced decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and with a decreased risk of COPD. To fully understand the effect of air pollution on COPD, we recommend future studies with longer follow-up periods, more standardized definitions of COPD and more refined and source-specific exposure assessments.
Objective To analyse the content and structure of the health management policy text for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China, and to provide a reference for the optimization and improvement of subsequent relevant policies. Methods We searched for relevant policy documents on COPD health management at the national level from January 2017 to December 2023, constructed a two-dimensional analysis framework for policy tools and chronic disease health management processes, coded and classified policy texts, and used content analysis method to analyze policy texts. Results Twenty-four policy texts were included. There were 183 codes for policy tool dimension, with supply based, environmental based, and demand based tools accounting for 43.72%, 47.54%, and 8.74%, respectively. There were 124 codes for the dimension of health management processes, with health information collection and management accounting for 12.10%, risk prediction accounting for 14.52%, intervention and treatment accounting for 66.13%, and follow-up and effectiveness evaluation accounting for 7.26%. Conclusions At present, the proportion of policy tools related to the management of COPD in China needs to be dynamically adjusted. Environmental tools should be appropriately reduced, the internal structure of supply tools should be optimized, the driving effect of demand tools should be comprehensively enhanced, the coupling of COPD health management processes should be strengthened, and the relevant policy system and overall quality should be continuously improved.
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of procalcitonin guided algorithms of antibiotic therapy in acute exacerbation chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 6, 2016), CBM, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang Data from the date of their establishment to July 2016, to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about procalcitonin guided antibiotics therapy in patients with AECOPD. References of the included literature were also searched manually for additional studies. The literature screening, data extraction and bias risk assessment of the included studies were completed by two reviewers independently. Statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsA total of ten RCTs involving 1 071 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis indicated that compared with the standard treatment group, the antibiotic prescription rate (RR=0.70, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.89, P=0.004), the rate of duration of antibiotic >10 days (RR=0.38, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.56, P<0.000 01) and the superinfection rate (RR=0.23, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.58, P=0.002) were significantly lower in the procalcitonin-guided treatment group. There were no statistical differences in clinical effective rate (RR=0.98, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.06, P=0.61), hospital mortality (RR=0.84, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.73, P=0.43), and the rate of need for intensive care (RR=0.77, 95% CI 0.40 to 1.47, P=0.43). ConclusionProcalcitonin guided antibiotics therapy may reduce antibiotic exposure and superinfection rate in patients with AECOPD. In addition, due to the low methodological quality and limited quantity of the included studies, larger sample-size, and high quality RCTs are needed to verify the above conclusion.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the clinical efficacy of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in treating patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MethodsDatabases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library (Issue 10, 2013), EMbase, CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched for the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about LMWH in treating acute exacerbation of COPD from the establishment to October 2013. Two reviewers independently screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was then performed using RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsA total of 6 RCTs involving 501 patients were finally included. The results of meta-analysis showed that:compared with the control group, LMWH significantly improved levels of D-dimmer (MD=-0.28, 95%CI-0.50 to-0.05, P=0.02), reduced carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2) (MD=-3.42, 95%CI-6.66 to-0.18, P=0.04), improved coagulation (PT) (MD=1.85, 95%CI 1.29 to 2.42, P < 0.000 01), and improved clinical symptoms and signs (RR=1.33, 95%CI 1.12 to 1.58, P=0.001), but it did not improve oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) (MD=0.28, 95%CI-3.04 to 3.61, P=0.87). During treatment, no severe adverse reaction occurred in both groups. ConclusionLMWH could significantly improve symptoms caused by acute exacerbation of COPD. Due to limited quantity and quality of the included studies, the above conclusion needs to be confirmed by conducting more high quality RCTs with larger sample size.
Objective To evaluate the influence of early mobilization on delirium and respiratory dynamics in mechanically ventilated patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Methods The study prospectively recruited 107 AECOPD patients who admitted between January 2014 and June 2015 and underwent mechanical ventilation.On basis of same routine treatment,the patients were randomly divided into a treatment group (54 cases)receiving regime of early mobilization,and a control group (53 cases)receiving routine sedation and analgesia treatment.The incidence of delirium,duration of delirium,time of mechanical ventilation,and ICU mortality were compared between two groups.The respiratory mechanical parameters including endogenous positive end expiratory pressure (PEEPi),airway resistance(Raw),static compliance(Cs),and dynamic compliance(Cd)before treatment,3 days and 5 days after treatment were also compared between two groups. Results Compared with the control group,the incidence of delirium decreased (59.3% vs. 77.4%),the duration of delirium [(1.8±1.1)d vs. (2.6±1.3)d] and mechanical ventilation[(6.2±3.4)d vs. (7.9±4.2)d] reduced in the treatment group with significant difference(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in respiratory mechanical parameters before treatment between two groups(P>0.05).While at 3 days and 5 days after treatment,PEEPi decreased [(6.23±2.83)cm H2O vs. (7.42±2.62)cm H2O,(4.46±2.20)cm H2O vs. (5.92±2.51)cm H2O],Raw decreased [(20.35±7.15)cmH2O·L-1·s-1 vs. (23.23±6.64)cm H2O·L-1·s-1,(16.00±5.41)cm H2O·L-1·s-1 vs. (19.02±6.37)cm H2O·L-1·s-1],Cd increased [(25.20±9.37)mL/cm H2O vs (21.75±7.38)mL/cm H2O,(27.46±5.45)mL/cm H2O vs. (24.40±6.68)mL/cm H2O] in the treatment group compared with the control group(P<0.05),and the difference in Cs was not significant(P>0.05).No complications such as slippage,physical injury,or malignant arrhythmia occurred in two groups.The mortality slightly decreased in the treatment group compared with the control group (5.6% vs 11.3%),but the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05). Conclusions The incidence of delirium is high in mechanically ventilated patients with AECOPD.Early mobilization can reduce the incidence and duration of delirium,decrease the airway resistance,increase the dynamic lung compliance,relieve dynamic pulmonary hyperinflation and reduce PEEPi,so as to improve the respiratory function and shorten the time of mechanical ventilation.Therefore,early mobilization is an effective and safe regime for AECOPD patients underwent mechanical ventilation.
Objective To investigate the expression of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in lung tissues of patients with four different diseases including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary sarcoidosis and pulmonary bullae, and to find out the potential risk factors affecting COVID-19. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 40 patients admitted to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University with COVID-19 (COVID-19 group), COPD (COPD group), pulmonary sarcoidosis (pulmonary sarcoidosis group) and pulmonary bullae (pulmonary bullae group) and surgically resected paraffin-embedded pathological lung tissues were obtained from their lung tissue pathological specimens after surgery and paraffin embedding. The GEO database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) was used for bioinformatics analysis to explore the expression difference of DPP4 and ACE2 mRNA in COVID-19, COPD, pulmonary sarcoidosis and normal lung tissues. Immunohistochemistry method was used to detect the expression of DPP4 and ACE2 protein in lung tissues of each group and the average optical density was measured by image analysis software. Results The results of GEO database analysis showed that compared with pulmonary bullae group, the expression level of DPP4 mRNA had no significant difference in the COPD group and pulmonary sarcoidosis group (both P>0.05), but it was increased in the COVID-19 group (P<0.05); There was no significant difference in the expression level of ACE mRNA in the pulmonary sarcoidosis group (P>0.05), but it was increased in the lung tissue of COVID-19 group and COPD group (both P<0.05). The results of immunohistochemistry showed that DPP4 and ACE2 proteins were lowly expressed in the pulmonary sarcoidosis group and pulmonary bullae group, while their expression level was high in COVID-19 and COPD groups without significant difference (P>0.05). The expression of DPP4 and ACE2 proteins in COVID-19 group was not related to the patient’s gender and age (P>0.05), but was related to smoking and long smoking duration (P<0.05), and there was a positive correlation between DPP4 and ACE2 expression (P<0.05). Conclusions DPP4 and ACE2 proteins are lowly expressed in the pulmonary sarcoidosis group and pulmonary bullae group, while their expression level is high in COVID-19 and COPD groups. There is no significant difference in the expression level of DPP4 and ACE2 protein in the COVID-19 and COPD lung tissues. There may be a positive correlation between DPP4 and ACE2 proteins expression in lung tissue, and smoking may be a potential risk factor for COVID-19.
Objective To explore the effect of respiratory training based on mechanical vibration-assisted sputum expulsion on arterial blood gases in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary type 2 respiratory failure and clinical efficacy observation. Methods 105 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease combined with type 2 respiratory failure who were hospitalized in our hospital from November 2019 to February 2023 were selected as study subjects. They were randomly numbered and divided into experimental and control groups according to the order of admission, and 3 patients withdrew from the study cohort due to their own reasons, and 51 cases each of the experimental and control groups were finally included. Patients in the control group were given conventional treatment and lung function exercise, while the experimental group was given respiratory training with mechanical vibration-assisted sputum expulsion. Lung function and blood gas analysis indexes were measured before and 2 weeks after treatment to evaluate the clinical efficacy and incidence of adverse events in the two groups. Results After the treatment, pulmonary function indexes such as PEF, FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC, and blood gas analysis indexes such as PaO2, PaCO2 of the experimental group and daily sputum excretion improved significantly compared with those of the pre-treatment and control groups (P<0.05). The total clinical efficacy rate of the patients in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05), and the incidence of adverse events was lower than that of the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion Respiratory training based on mechanical vibration-assisted sputum expectoration can help improve the lung function and blood gas level of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease combined with type 2 respiratory failure, and it has a certain clinical value in promoting the rehabilitation and prognosis of patients.
Objective To explore the differences in lung function, neutrophil polarization, and serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels among bronchial asthma patients, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, and asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACO) patients. Methods The retrospective analysis enrolled 127 patients with respiratory system diseases diagnosed and treated in Wuwei People’s Hospital between March 2016 and March 2019. Among them, 45 patients with moderate and severe bronchial asthma were in included the asthma group, 42 patients with acute exacerbations of COPD were included in the COPD group, and 40 patients with moderately persistent and severely persistent ACO were included in the ACO group. Forty-eight healthy examinees in the same period were selected as the control group. The pulmonary function [forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1 to FVC (FEV1/FVC) ratio, and percentage of FEV1 to predicted value (FEV1%pred)], neutrophil polarization, and serum total IgE levels of the four groups were compared. Results In the control group, the ACO group, the asthma group, and the COPD group, the FEV1 values were (3.65±0.79), (2.04±0.58), (1.81±0.46), and (1.59±0.43) L, respectively, the FVC values were (4.13±0.92), (3.18±0.76), (2.69±0.63), and (2.43±0.58) L, respectively, the serum total IgE levels were (92.36±12.20), (334.81±55.96), (455.61±65.59), and (142.65±28.36) U/mL, respectively, and the between-group differences were all statistically significant (P<0.05). In addition, the FEV1/FVC ratios in the asthma group, the COPD group, and the ACO group were (67.93±11.51)%, (63.81±9.22)%, and (61.28±9.23)%, respectively, the FEV1%pred levels were (74.55±11.70)%, (63.29±8.60)%, and (61.34±7.91)%, respectively, which were lower than those in the control group [(83.60±7.18)% and (94.23±8.21)%] (P<0.05). The spontaneous polarization rates in the ACO group, the asthma group, the COPD group, and the control group were (29.43±5.58)%, (25.11±4.09)%, (16.28±4.51)%, and (7.18±2.12)%, respectively, the arbitrary polarization rates in the ACO group, the asthma group, the control group, and the COPD group were (30.01±5.29)%, (25.76±5.53)%, (21.42±4.36)%, and (19.85±5.00)%, respectively, the directional polarization rates in the asthma group, the ACO group, the control group, and the COPD group were (14.67±2.30)%, (8.21±1.81)%, (5.12±1.10)%, and (2.52±0.63)%, respectively, and the between-group differences were all statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion There are certain differences in lung function, neutrophil polarization, and serum immunoglobulin E level among patients with bronchial asthma, COPD, and asthma-COPD overlap syndrome.
Objective To investigate the current situation of anxiety and depression in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and analyze the related influencing factors. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among AECOPD patients admitted to the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from August 2022 to October 2023. The survey included basic demographic information, anxiety and depression scores, quality of life and dyspnea symptoms in the AECOPD patients. The clinical data of patients in the electronic medical record system were also collected. According to the anxiety score or depression score, the patients were divided into an anxiety group and a non-anxiety group, or a depression group and a non-depression group. The indicators between two groups were compared and the influencing factors were analyzed. Results Among the 164 patients with AECOPD, 123 patients (75.0%) were complicated with anxiety, 125 patients (76.2%) were complicated with depression, and 105 patients (64.0%) were complicated with anxiety and depression. Education level, place of residence, monthly income, smoking index, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test (CAT) score were associated with AECOPD and anxiety (P<0.05). Higher CAT score was an independent risk factor for anxiety in the patients with AECOPD. Residence, monthly income, smoking index, CAT score, modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea questionnaire rating, actual bicarbonate, neutrophilic granulocyte percentage (NEU%), lymphocyte percentage (LYM%), basophile percentage (BASO%), alkaline phosphatase, total carbon dioxide concentration, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were associated with AECOPD and depression (P<0.05). Among them, higher CAT score and PLR value were independent risk factors of AECOPD and depression. Conclusion Anxiety and depression have higher prevalence in AECOPD patients, and the influencing factors include quality of life, dyspnea symptoms, education level, place of residence, monthly income, smoking index, acid base balance, NEU%, LYM%, BASO%, NLR和PLR, etc.
ObjectiveTo study the clinical features, predictive factors and short-term prognosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). MethodsThis study enrolled patients hospitalized for AECOPD in ten tertiary hospitals of China from September 2017 to July 2021. AECOPD patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis were included as case group, AECOPD patients without pulmonary tuberculosis were randomly selected as control group from the same hospitals and same hospitalization period as the patients in case group, at a ratio of 4:1. The basic information, comorbidities, clinical manifestations and auxiliary examinations, and adverse in-hospital outcomes between the two groups were compared.ResultsA total of 14007 inpatients with AECOPD were included in this study, and 245 patients were confirmed to have active pulmonary tuberculosis, with an incidence rate of 1.75%. In terms of basic information, the proportions of male and patients with history of acute exacerbation in the past year in the case group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05), and the age and body mass index (BMI) were lower than those of the control group (P<0.05); in terms of comorbidities, the proportions of patients with hypertension and diabetes in the case group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). In terms of clinical manifestations, the prevalence of fever and hemoptysis in case group was higher than that of control group (P<0.05); as for laboratory examinations, the levels of hemoglobin, platelet count, serum albumin, inflammatory markers [erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein] and the proportion of positive TB-IGRA were higher than that of control group (P<0.05). The prevalence of pulmonary bullae, atelectasis and bronchiectasis in the case group was higher than that in the control group. After multivariate logistic regression analysis, hemoptysis (OR= 3.68, 95%CI 1.15-11.79, P=0.028), increased ESR (OR=3.88, 95%CI 2.33-6.45, P<0.001), atelectasis (OR = 3.23, 95%CI 1.32-7.91, P=0.01) were independent predictors of active pulmonary tuberculosis in patients with AECOPD. In terms of in-hospital outcomes, there was a trend of higher hospital mortality than the control group (2.3% vs. 1%), but the difference was not statistically significant. However, the case group had longer hospital stay [9 d (6~14) vs. 7 d (5~11), P<0.001] and higher hospital costs [15568 ¥ (10618~21933) vs. (13672 ¥ (9650~21473), P=0.037]. ConclusionIt is not uncommon for AECOPD inpatients to be complicated with active pulmonary tuberculosis, which increases the length of hospital stay and hospitalization costs. When AECOPD patients present with hemoptysis, elevated ESR, and atelectasis, clinicians should be highly alert to the possibility of active pulmonary tuberculosis.