Comorbid allergy and rhinitis and patient-related outcomes in asthma and COPD: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The study aimed to compare prevalence of comorbid allergic manifestations and rhinitis, allergy testing and associations with patient-related outcomes in patients with asthma and COPD.

Methods: Cross-sectional study of randomly selected Swedish patients with a doctor's diagnosis of asthma ( = 1291) or COPD ( = 1329). Self-completion questionnaires from 2014 provided data on demographics, rhinitis, allergic symptoms at exposure to pollen or furry pets, exacerbations, self-assessed severity of disease and scores from the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), and records were reviewed for allergy tests.

Risk Factors Associated with Asthma Control and Quality of Life in Patients with Mild Asthma Without Preventer Treatment, a Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To study risk factors for uncontrolled asthma and insufficient quality of life (QoL) in patients with mild asthma, ie those without preventer treatment.

Patients And Methods: Patients aged 18-75 years with a doctor's diagnosis of asthma randomly selected from primary and secondary care in Sweden. Mild asthma was defined as self-reported current asthma and no preventer treatment.

CRP, Fibrinogen, White Blood Cells, and Blood Cell Indices as Prognostic Biomarkers of Future COPD Exacerbation Frequency: The TIE Cohort Study.

: Systemic inflammation is common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and evidence suggests that inflammatory biomarkers can predict acute exacerbations (AECOPDs). The aim of this study was to analyse whether C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, white blood cell count (WBC), or the blood cell indices PLR (platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio), SII (systemic immune inflammation index), SIRI (systemic inflammation response index), and AISI (aggregate index of systemic inflammation) can predict future AECOPDs. In the Tools Identifying Exacerbations (TIE) cohort study, participants with spirometry-confirmed COPD were recruited from primary and secondary care in three Swedish regions and assessed during a stable phase of COPD.

FEV and FVC as robust risk factors for cardiovascular disease and mortality: Insights from a large population study.

Introduction: Data is limited on influence of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in a large adult population, including individuals with normal spirometry at baseline.

Methods: Using the UK Biobank cohort, a multivariable Cox regression analysis was conducted on 406,424 individuals to examine the association between FEV and FVC, categorized into three groups based on their percentage of predicted values (%pred) (≥80, 60-80 and < 60), and overall mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure over approximately 12.5 years.

Biomarkers of chronic airflow limitation and COPD identified by mass spectrometry.

Rationale: COPD affects 300 million people worldwide and is the third leading cause of death according to World Health Organization global health estimates. Early symptoms are subtle, and so COPD is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Thus, there is an unmet need for biomarkers that can identify individuals at early stages of the disease before clinical symptoms have manifested.

Pharmacological treatment of asthma in Sweden from 2005 to 2015.

Objective: Despite access to effective therapies many asthma patients still do not have well-controlled disease. This is possibly related to underuse of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and overuse of short-acting β2-agonists (SABA). Our aim was to investigate longitudinal trends and associated factors in asthma treatment.

Factors Associated with the Non-Exacerbator Phenotype of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and no exacerbations may need less maintenance treatment and follow-up. The aim was to identify factors associated with a non-exacerbator COPD phenotype.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 1354 patients from primary and secondary care, with a doctor's diagnosis of COPD.

Cardiovascular disease-linked plasma proteins are mainly associated with lung volume.

Background: Epidemiological studies have shown that impaired lung function is common and associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Increased levels of several inflammatory and cardiovascular disease-related plasma proteins have been associated with impaired lung function. The aim was to study the association between plasma proteomics and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV/FVC ratio.

Comorbid Heart Disease in Patients with COPD is Associated with Increased Hospitalization and Mortality - A 15-Year Follow-Up.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the association of comorbid heart disease, defined as chronic heart failure or ischemic heart disease, on all-cause and cause-specific hospitalization and mortality in patients with COPD over a period of nearly 15 years.

Materials And Methods: The cohort study included patients with COPD from primary and secondary care in 2005 with data from questionnaires and medical record reviews. The Swedish Board of Health and Welfare provided hospitalization and mortality data from 2005 through 2019.

Does multimorbidity result in de-prioritisation of COPD in primary care?

The aim of this study was to describe factors associated with having COPD regularly reviewed in primary care by a nurse or physician and assess whether there was de-prioritisation for COPD in multimorbid patients. We defined de-prioritisation as not having at least one check-up by a physician during a two-year period. Among 713 COPD patients in the Swedish PRAXIS study, 473 (66%) had at least one check-up during the study period (ending in 2014).

Alveolar Nitric Oxide in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-A Two-Year Follow-Up.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects the airways and gas exchange areas. Nitric oxide (NO) production from the airways is presented as FENO50 and from the gas exchange areas as alveolar NO (CANO). We aimed to evaluate, over two years, the consistency of the CANO estimations in subjects with COPD.

Validation of Clinical COPD Phenotypes for Prognosis of Long-Term Mortality in Swedish and Dutch Cohorts.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease with variable mortality risk. The aim of our investigation was to validate a simple clinical algorithm for long-term mortality previously proposed by Burgel in 2017. Subjects with COPD from two cohorts, the Swedish PRAXIS study ( = 784, mean age (standard deviation (SD)) 64.

One additional educational session in inhaler use to patients with COPD in primary health care - A controlled clinical trial.

Objective: To investigate whether one additional educational session about inhaler use, delivered to patients with COPD in primary healthcare, could affect the patients' skills in inhaler use. Specifically, to study the effects on errors related to handling the device, to inhalation technique, and to both.

Methods: This nonrandomized controlled clinical trial included 64 patients who used devices and made errors.

MAIT cell counts are associated with the risk of hospitalization in COPD.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation associated with chronic inflammation in the airways. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are unconventional, innate-like T cells highly abundant in mucosal tissues including the lung. We hypothesized that the characteristics of MAIT cells in circulation may be prospectively associated with COPD morbidity.

Changes in critical inhaler technique errors in inhaled COPD treatment - A one-year follow-up study in Sweden.

Background: Critical inhaler technique errors have been associated with lower treatment efficacy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We aimed to assess and follow-up critical inhaler technique errors, and to investigate their association with COPD symptoms and exacerbations.

Methods: COPD-diagnosed primary and secondary care outpatients (n = 310) demonstrated inhaler technique with inhaler devices they were currently using.

Prioritising primary care respiratory research needs: results from the 2020 International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) global e-Delphi exercise.

Respiratory diseases remain a significant cause of global morbidity and mortality and primary care plays a central role in their prevention, diagnosis and management. An e-Delphi process was employed to identify and prioritise the current respiratory research needs of primary care health professionals worldwide. One hundred and twelve community-based physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals from 27 high-, middle- and low-income countries suggested 608 initial research questions, reduced after evidence review by 27 academic experts to 176 questions covering diagnosis, management, monitoring, self-management and prognosis of asthma, COPD and other respiratory conditions (including infections, lung cancer, tobacco control, sleep apnoea).

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, blood eosinophils and COPD exacerbations: a cohort study.

Background: Blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and blood eosinophils (B-Eos) are emerging biomarkers in COPD. This study examined whether they could predict acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPDs), and determined their longitudinal stability.

Methods: In this closed cohort study, Swedish subjects with spirometry-verified COPD attended three yearly visits in a stable phase of the disease.

Quality of life and asthma control related to hormonal transitions in women's lives.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate if menstruation and use of exogenous sex hormones influence self-reported asthma related quality of life (QoL) and asthma control.

Methods: The study is based on two asthma cohorts randomly selected in primary and secondary care. A total of 622 female patients 18-65 years were included and classified as premenopausal ≤ 46 years ( = 338) and peri/postmenopausal 47-65 years ( = 284).

Developing a short-term prediction model for asthma exacerbations from Swedish primary care patients' data using machine learning - Based on the ARCTIC study.

Objective: The ability to predict impending asthma exacerbations may allow better utilization of healthcare resources, prevention of hospitalization and improve patient outcomes. We aimed to develop models using machine learning to predict risk of exacerbations.

Methods: Data from 29,396 asthma patients was collected from electronic medical records and national registers covering clinical and epidemiological factors (e.

The Impact of Exacerbation Frequency on Clinical and Economic Outcomes in Swedish COPD Patients: The ARCTIC Study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the association between exacerbation frequency and clinical and economic outcomes in patients with COPD.

Patients And Methods: Electronic medical record data linked to National Health Registries were collected from COPD patients at 52 Swedish primary care centers (2000-2014). The outcomes analyzed were exacerbation rate, mortality, COPD treatments, lung function and healthcare costs during the follow-up period.

Predicting Hospitalization Due to COPD Exacerbations in Swedish Primary Care Patients Using Machine Learning - Based on the ARCTIC Study.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations can negatively impact disease severity, progression, mortality and lead to hospitalizations. We aimed to develop a model that predicts a patient's risk of hospitalization due to severe exacerbations (defined as COPD-related hospitalizations) of COPD, using Swedish patient level data.

Patients And Methods: Patient level data for 7823 Swedish patients with COPD was collected from electronic medical records (EMRs) and national registries covering healthcare contacts, diagnoses, prescriptions, lab tests, hospitalizations and socioeconomic factors between 2000 and 2013.

Prediction of Mortality Using Different COPD Risk Assessments - A 12-Year Follow-Up.

Purpose: A multidimensional approach in the risk assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is preferable. The aim of this study is to compare the prognostic ability for mortality by different COPD assessment systems; spirometric staging, classification by GOLD 2011, GOLD 2017, the age, dyspnea, obstruction (ADO) and the dyspnea, obstruction, smoking, exacerbation (DOSE) indices.

Patients And Methods: A total of 490 patients diagnosed with COPD were recruited from primary and secondary care in central Sweden in 2005.

Critical inhaler technique errors in Swedish patients with COPD: a cross-sectional study analysing video-recorded demonstrations.

A correct use of inhaler devices is essential in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment. Critical errors were studied by analysing 659 video-recorded demonstrations of inhaler technique from 364 COPD patients using six different inhaler device models. The majority of the included patients used two (55%) or more (20%) device models.