0000000000529291

AUTHOR

Cristina Esquinas

Protocol for the EARCO Registry

Rationale and objectives Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic condition that leads to an increased risk of emphysema and liver disease. Despite extensive investigation, there remain unanswered questions concerning the natural history, pathophysiology, genetics and the prognosis of the lung disease in association with AATD. The European Alpha-1 Clinical Research Collaboration (EARCO) is designed to bring together researchers from European countries and to create a standardised database for the follow-up of patients with AATD. Study design and population The EARCO Registry is a non-interventional, multicentre, pan-European, longitudinal observational cohort study enrolling patie…

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Determinants of CAT (COPD Assessment Test) scores in a population of patients with COPD in central and Eastern Europe: The POPE study

Abstract Background The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) has been proposed to help guide therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is important to understand the distribution of scores in different COPD populations and their determinants. Methods The POPE study is an international, observational cross-sectional study of COPD subjects in 11 Central and Eastern European countries aimed at characterizing COPD phenotypes. Here we report the analysis of CAT scores with the objective of identifying their determinants, evaluating symptom load and investigating the distribution of scores among the participating countries. Additionally, we investigated the discrepancies between the CAT a…

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Obstructive sleep apnoea in adult patients post-tonsillectomy

Background: The impact of removing the upper airway lymphoid tissue and in particular, tonsillectomy, in adults with OSA has not been demonstrated in large populations. Aims: To compare the severity of OSA and the prevalence of cardiovascular, metabolic and respiratory co-morbidities between patients with OSA who had undergone previous tonsillectomy and those who had not. Methods: The 19,711 participants in this study came from the European sleep apnea database (ESADA) which comprises data from unselected adult patients aged 18–80 years with a history of symptoms suggestive of OSA referred to sleep centers throughout Europe. Results: There were no differences between the two groups in terms…

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Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and sleepiness in real-life obstructive sleep apnoea.

The metabolic syndrome shows a variable prevalence in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and its association with insulin resistance or excessive daytime sleepiness in OSA is unclear. This study assessed the following in consecutive patients with newly diagnosed OSA: 1) the prevalence of metabolic syndrome; and 2) its association with insulin resistance and daytime sleepiness. Metabolic syndrome (National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP- ATP) III criteria), insulin resistance (Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA) index, n5288) and daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) were assessed in 529 OSA patients. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 51.2%, which incre…

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Obstructive sleep apnoea and metabolic syndrome in Mediterranean countries.

To the Editors: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is often associated with metabolic disturbances, including altered glucose metabolism and dyslipidaemia, which probably contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk in these patients 1. The concept of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) as a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors has gained popularity in recent years, and a much higher prevalence of the MetS has been found in OSA patients compared with the general population in several studies 1. While the MetS largely reflects the effects of visceral obesity, environmental factors, i.e. the type of diet, could also play some role. The Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil and fish, is protective…

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Gender-specific anthropometric markers of adiposity, metabolic syndrome and visceral adiposity index (VAI) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea often coexists with visceral adiposity and metabolic syndrome. In this study, we analysed gender-related differences in anthropometrics according to sleep apnea severity and metabolic abnormalities. In addition, the visceral adiposity index, a recently introduced marker of cardiometabolic risk, was analysed. Consecutive subjects with suspected obstructive sleep apnea (n = 528, 423 males, mean age ± standard deviation: 51.3 ± 12.8 years, body mass index: 31.0 ± 6.2 kg m(-2) ) were studied by full polysomnography (apnea-hypopnea index 43.4 ± 27.6 h(-1) ). Variables of general and visceral adiposity were measured (body mass index, neck, waist and hip circumferences, wai…

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