Background: Dyspnea is a common symptom experienced by many patients with chronic, life-threatening, and/or life-limiting illnesses. Although it can be defined and measured in several ways, dyspnea is best described directly by patients through regular assessment, as its burdens exert a strong influence on the patient's experience throughout the trajectory of serious illness. Its significance is amplified due to its impact on family and caregivers.
Discussion: Anatomic and physiologic changes associated with dyspnea, and cognitive perceptions related to patients and the underlying disease, provide insights into how to shape interventions targeting this oppressive symptom. Additionally, as described in the concept of "total dyspnea," the complex etiology and manifestation of this symptom require multidisciplinary treatment plans that focus on psychological, social, and spiritual distress as well as physical components. Several validated assessment tools are available for clinical and research use, and choice of method should be tailored to the individual patient, disease, and care setting in the context of patient-centered care.
Conclusion: This article, the first in a two-part series, reviews the identification and assessment of dyspnea, the burden it entails, and the underlying respiratory and nonrespiratory etiologies that may cause or exacerbate it.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2011.0109 | DOI Listing |
Arch Orthop Trauma Surg
January 2025
Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal.
Introduction: Total joint arthroplasties generally achieve good outcomes, but chronic pain and disability are a significant burden after these interventions. Acknowledging relevant risk factors can inform preventive strategies. This study aimed to identify chronic pain profiles 6 months after arthroplasty using the ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases) classification and to find pre and postsurgical predictors of these profiles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInflammation
January 2025
Department of Geriatrics, Respiratory Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory airway disease with high incidence and significant disease burden. R-loops, functional chromatin structure formed during transcription, are closely associated with inflammation due to its aberrant formation. However, the role of R-loop regulators (RLRs) in COPD remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Obes Rep
January 2025
Metabolism and Body Composition, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA.
Background: Recent technological advances have introduced novel methods for measuring body composition, each with unique benefits and limitations. The choice of method often depends on the trade-offs between accuracy, cost, participant burden, and the ability to measure specific body composition compartments.
Objective: To review the considerations of cost, accuracy, portability, and participant burden in reference and emerging body composition assessment methods, and to evaluate their clinical applicability.
Br J Dermatol
January 2025
Department of Occupational and Environmental Diseases, University Hospital of Centre of Paris, Hotel-Dieu Hospital, and Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Centre of Paris, Cochin Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France AP-HP, Paris, France.
Background: The lack of attention to Chronic Hand Eczema (CHE) and the lack of a specific International Classification of Diseases code for CHE may have limited the assessment of CHE prevalence. To date, prevalence estimates have primarily been derived from (partly small) single-country studies.
Objectives: To estimate the annual prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed CHE across socio-demographic characteristics among adults in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK).
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging
January 2025
National Amyloidosis Centre, University College London, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London, United Kingdom.
Cardiac amyloidosis represents a unique disease process characterized by amyloid fibril deposition within the myocardial extracellular space. Advances in multimodality cardiac imaging enable accurate diagnosis and facilitate prompt initiation of disease-modifying therapies. Furthermore, rapid advances in multimodality imaging have enriched understanding of the underlying pathogenesis, enhanced prognostication, and resulted in the development of imaging-based markers that reflect the amyloid burden, which is of increasing importance when assessing the response to treatment.
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