Publications by authors named "George A Whitmore"
Background: We investigated dyspnea; its associated risk factors; and its impact on health care utilization, quality of life, and work productivity in adults with undiagnosed respiratory symptoms.
Research Question: What is the impact of dyspnea in adults with undiagnosed respiratory symptoms?
Study Design And Methods: This population-based study included 2,857 adults who were experiencing respiratory symptoms. These individuals had not been previously diagnosed with any lung conditions and were recruited from 17 Canadian centers using random digit dialing.
Article Synopsis
- Some patients with asthma have normal spirometry, making it hard to diagnose without additional tests like bronchial challenge testing (BCT).
- The study aimed to identify clinical predictors for asthma in symptomatic adults and develop a tool to help doctors determine who needs BCT.
- Among 132 participants with respiratory symptoms, 26% were diagnosed with asthma, with key predictors being experiences like coughing or wheezing during exercise and certain spirometry results; a nomogram was created to assist clinicians in identifying these patients.
Introduction: We aimed to develop a clinical tool for predicting 1- and 2-year risk of death for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The model considers patients' overall health status as well as risk of intermittent shock events in calculating the risk of death.
Methods: Canadian CF Registry data from 1982 to 2015 were used to develop a predictive risk model using threshold regression.
Rationale: The reliability of using between-visit variation in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV) to diagnose asthma is understudied, and hence uncertain.
Objective: To determine whether FEV variability measured over recurrent visits is significantly associated with a diagnosis of current asthma.
Methods: Randomly selected adults (N = 964) with a history of physician-diagnosed asthma were studied from 2005 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2016.
Reply to Vazquez Guillamet et al. and to Magnussen et al.: "Normalization of FEV/FVC Ratio to Greater Than 0.7 Does Not Equal Resolution of Disease" and "Spirometry Variability Must Be Critically Interpreted before Negating a Clinical Diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease".
Am J Respir Crit Care Med
March 2018
Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic, progressive disease, and reversal of COPD diagnosis is thought to be uncommon.
Objectives: To determine whether a spirometric diagnosis of mild or moderate COPD is subject to variability and potential error.
Methods: We examined two prospective cohort studies that enrolled subjects with mild to moderate post-bronchodilator airflow obstruction.
Background: We previously identified factors associated with a greater risk of death post-transplant. The purpose of this study was to develop a clinical tool to estimate the risk of death after transplant based on pre-transplant variables.
Methods: We utilized the Canadian CF registry to develop a nomogram that incorporates pre-transplant clinical measures to assess post-lung transplant survival.
Background: Contemporary studies evaluating post-transplant survival are limited and often include data from single centers or selected sub-groups. The purpose of this study was to evaluate overall transplant survival and to identify risk factors associated with death after transplant.
Methods: The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry, a population-based cohort, was used to describe survival after lung transplant.
Objectives: We constructed a statistical model to assess the risk of death for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients between scheduled annual clinical visits. Our model includes a CF health index that shows the influence of risk factors on CF chronic health and on the severity and frequency of CF exacerbations.
Study Design And Setting: Our study used Canadian CF registry data for 3,794 CF patients born after 1970.
Background: The natural history and time course of the onset of exacerbation events of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is incompletely understood.
Methods: A prospective cohort of 212 patients with COPD was monitored using daily symptom diaries for a median of 2.8 years to characterise the time course of COPD exacerbation onset.