Search results for "lung function"

2021

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for surgical complications after anatomic lung resections in the era of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS). METHODS A retrospective analysis of all consecutive adult patients who underwent elective anatomic lung resections between January and December 2020 at our institution was performed. RESULTS Eighty patients (40 VATS, 40 thoracotomy) were included. The 30-day mortality rate was 1.3%. The overall rate of major postoperative complications was 18.8%. Most major complications occurred in patients who underwent open surgery (complication rate 32.5%, share of total complications 86.7%…

Suggestions for lung function testing in the context of COVID-19

2021

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a challenge worldwide. Due to the characteristics of lung function tests, the risk of cross infection may be high between health care workers and patients. The role of lung function testing is well defined for the diagnosis of various diseases and conditions. Lung function tests are also indispensable in evaluating the response to medical treatment, in monitoring patient respiratory and systemic pathologies, and in evaluating preoperative risk in cardiothoracic and major abdominal surgeries. However, lung function testing represents a potential route for COVID-19 transmission, due to the aerosol generated during the procedures an…

BMI can influence adult males' and females' airway hyperresponsiveness differently

2012

Abstract Background Epidemiological data indicate that obesity is a risk factor for asthma, but scientific literature is still debating the association between changes in body mass index (BMI) and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Methods This study aimed at evaluating the influence of BMI on AHR, in outpatients with symptoms suggestive of asthma. 4,217 consecutive adult subjects (2,439 M; mean age: 38.2±14.9 yrs; median FEV1 % predicted: 100 [IQR:91.88-107.97] and FEV1/FVC % predicted: 85.77% [IQR:81.1-90.05]), performed a methacholine challenge test for suspected asthma. Subjects with PD20 20 20 > 800 were considered affected by severe, moderate or mild AHR, respectively. Results A total …

Persistence of both reversible airway obstruction and higher blood eosinophils may predict lung function decline in severe asthma.

2021

Objective: This study analysed whether the persistence of both reversible airway obstruction (RAO) and elevated BE counts was associated to reduced asthma control and accelerated lung function decline in treated severe asthmatics. Methods: About 202 severe asthmatics were studied after 12–120 months of step-5 treatment associated to anti-IgE therapy. Following treatments, reversibility tests, after inhaling 400 mcg of Salbutamol, were performed. FEV1 > 12% or ≤12% changes differentiated RAO+ from RAO− subjects. Blood eosinophil (BE) counts after treatment were considered. Results: Pre-/post-treatment bronchodilator FEV1% and ACT were lower (61% [50–71], 74.4% [62.5–83.7] and 20[18–22]), …

Severe asthma features in children: A case–control online survey

2016

Background Very few studies have explored the distinguishing features of severe asthma in childhood in Europe, and only one study was conducted in Southern Europe. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed characterization of children with severe asthma treated in specialized pediatric asthma centers across Italy. Methods We conducted a web-based data collection of family, environmental, clinical and laboratory characteristics of 41 patients aged 6–17 years with severe asthma, defined according to the recent guidelines of the European Respiratory Society and the American Thoracic Society, and 78 age-matched peers with non-severe persistent asthma. The patients have been enrolled from …

3He-MRI-based measurements of intrapulmonarypO2 and its time course during apnea in healthy volunteers: first results, reproducibility, and technical…

2000

We applied a recently developed method of following the time course of the intrapulmonary oxygen partial pressure p(O2)(t) during apnea by (3)He MRI to healthy volunteers. Using two imaging series with different interscan times during two breathholds (double acquisition technique), relaxation of (3)He due to paramagnetic oxygen and depolarization by RF pulses were discriminated. In all four subjects, the temporal evolution of p(O2) was found to be linear, and was described by an initial partial pressure p(0) and a decrease rate R. Also, regional differences of both p(0) and R were observed. A correlation between p(0) and R was apparent. Finally, we discuss limitations of the double acquisit…

Vitamin D Insufficiency In Adult Asthma Is Associated With Asthma Severity And Control

2012

Data in asthmatic children suggest that low vitamin D levels are associated with poor asthma control, reduced lung function, and increased medication intake. To investigate the role of vitamin D insufficiency in adult asthmatics 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured in 280 adult patients with asthma (mean±SEM: 45.0±0.8 yrs., 40% male, FEV1 74.9±1.4%) and correlated with clinical parameters of asthma control. The majority of patients had severe asthma (n=155, 55%) and were uncontrolled (n=144, 51%). Serum levels of vitamin D were significantly related to asthma severity (mean±SEM: intermittent 31.1±3.2 ng/ml, mild 27.3±1.6 ng/ml, moderate 26.5±1.5, severe 24.0±0.9, p=0.046) and asthma control (co…

Physician's mistakes in the interpretation of spirometry

2012

Background. The most recent ATS/ERS recommendations on lung function testing include a definition of airflow obstruction based on lower limit of normal (LLN) of FEV1/FVC and suggest to measure total lung capacity (TLC) in suspected cases of “pseudo-restriction” (normal FEV1/FVC ratio because of concomitant reductions in FEV1 and FVC), that can conceal airflow obstruction if the subject does not exhale long enough. Aims. To evaluate the skill of physicians in the interpretation of spirometry. Methods. A questionnaire focusing on the interpretation of five spirograms was administered to 127 physicians (aged 25-67yrs; 39% pulmonologists, 20% geriatrics). Correlates of spirometric misinterpreta…

Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds and lung function during childhood

2019

Introduction: Prenatal exposure to organochlorine compounds (OCs) can increase the risk of reported respiratory symptoms in children. It remains unclear whether these compounds can also impact on lung function. We assessed the association between prenatal exposure to OCs and lung function during childhood. Methods: We included 1308 mother-child pairs enrolled in a prospective cohort study. Prenatal concentrations of p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane [p,p′-DDT], p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene [p,p′-DDE], hexachlorobenzene [HCB], and seven polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs] were measured in cord blood. Spirometry was performed in the offspring at ages 4 (n = 636) and 7 years (n = 1192…

SNPs associated withHHIPexpression have differential effects on lung function in males and females

2019

AbstractAdult lung function is highly heritable and 279 genetic loci were recently reported as associated with spirometry-based measures of lung function. Though lung development and function differ between males and females throughout life, there has been no genome-wide study to identify genetic variants with differential effects on lung function in males and females. Here, we present the first genome-wide genotype-by-sex interaction study on four lung function traits in 303,612 participants from the UK Biobank. We detected five SNPs showing genome-wide significant (P<5 × 10−8) interactions with sex on lung function, as well as 21 suggestively significant interactions (P<1 × 10−6). T…