Effect of statins on total cholesterol concentrations, cardiovascular morbidity, and all-cause mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a population-based cohort study.

Background: The benefit of statin use on total cholesterol (TC) concentration has not been studied previously in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: Our study aimed to evaluate statin-associated TC-concentration reduction and subsequent risk for cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in COPD.

Methods: We performed a population-based cohort study using a record-linkage database in Tayside, Scotland.

Proposed changes to management of lower respiratory tract infections in response to the Clostridium difficile epidemic.

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remains a major healthcare problem associated with antibiotic use in hospitals. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the incidence of CDI in the UK and internationally. Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are the leading indication for antibiotic prescription in hospitals and are therefore a critical battleground in the fight against inappropriate antibiotic use and healthcare-associated infections.

A predictive model of hospitalisation and death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Rationale: A recent study showed that doctors are excessively pessimistic about the prognosis in patients with COPD and suggested that a simple tool to predict outcome is needed.

Methods: In a prospective observational study, 3343 patients with an FEV1<80% of the predicted value and FEV1/FVC<70% were selected from a clinical network of patients screened for COPD in Tayside, Scotland. Data were collected during annual visits on demography, spirometry, smoking history, medical research council (MRC) dyspnoea scale, body mass index (BMI) and other variables.