Effects of simple long-term respiratory care strategies in older men with COPD / Efeitos de estratégias de longo prazo simples de cuidados respiratórios em homens idosos com DPOC

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate a 24-month supervised, community-based maintenance exercise program after 3 months of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in comparison with a 27-month physical activity counseling program, in terms of the effects on maximal muscle strength, muscle power output, and exercise capacity, in individuals with COPD. Methods: Sixty-three men with moderate-to-severe COPD were recruited from two previous studies. Of those 63 participants, 31 were offered 3 months of PR followed by a 24-month supervised maintenance exercise program (24MME group) and 32 were offered a 27-month physical activity counseling program (27MPAC group). Measurements at 3 months and at the end of the study period included maximal strength of the upper and lower limbs, power output of the lower limbs, six-minute walk distance (6MWD), and quality of life. Results: At 27 months, the improvements in maximal strength of the upper and lower limbs were greater in the 24MME group than in the 27MPAC group (37.6 ± 28.3% and 28.4 ± 13.3%, respectively, vs. 8.8 ± 16% and 13.6 ± 16.4%, respectively; p < 0.05), as was the improvement in power output of the lower limbs (24.6 ± 18.4% vs. −2.3 ± 28.5%; p < 0.01). The increase in the 6MWD after 3 months was also greater in the 24MME group than in the 27MPAC group (33.2 ± 36.6 m vs. 2.9 ± 34.7 m; p < 0.05), although there were no differences between the two groups in terms of the Δ6MWD at 27 months (vs. baseline). Conclusions: A supervised, community-based maintenance program is a successful long-term strategy to preserve the benefits of PR on peripheral muscle function and exercise capacity in individuals with COPD. However, physical activity counseling can maintain maximal muscle strength and exercise capacity in such individuals.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar um programa comunitário supervisionado de 24 meses de exercícios de manutenção precedido de 3 meses de reabilitação pulmonar (RP) em comparação com um programa de 27 meses de aconselhamento de atividade física, quanto aos efeitos na força muscular máxima, potência muscular e capacidade de exercício em indivíduos com DPOC. Métodos: Foram recrutados 63 homens com DPOC moderada a grave de dois estudos anteriores. A 31 desses 63 participantes foram oferecidos 3 meses de RP seguidos de um programa supervisionado de 24 meses de exercícios de manutenção (grupo 24MEM), e a 32, um programa de 27 meses de aconselhamento de atividade física (grupo 27MAAF). Medidas realizadas aos 3 meses e ao final do período estudado incluíram força máxima dos membros superiores e inferiores, potência dos membros inferiores, distância percorrida no teste de caminhada de seis minutos (DTC6) e qualidade de vida. Resultados: Aos 27 meses, a melhora da força máxima dos membros superiores e inferiores foi maior no grupo 24MEM que no grupo 27MAAF (37,6 ± 28,3% e 28,4 ± 13,3%, respectivamente, vs. 8,8 ± 16% e 13,6 ± 16,4%, respectivamente; p < 0,05), e houve melhora da potência dos membros inferiores (24,6 ± 18,4% vs. −2,3 ± 28,5%; p < 0,01). O aumento da DTC6 após 3 meses também foi maior no grupo 24MEM que no grupo 27MAAF (33,2 ± 36,6 m vs. 2,9 ± 34,7 m; p < 0,05), mas não houve diferenças entre os grupos quanto a ΔDTC6 aos 27 meses (vs. basal). Conclusões: Um programa comunitário supervisionado de manutenção é uma estratégia de longo prazo bem sucedida para preservar os benefícios da RP na função muscular periférica e capacidade de exercício em indivíduos com DPOC. No entanto, o aconselhamento de atividade física consegue manter a força muscular máxima e a capacidade de exercício nesses indivíduos.

Fibromyalgia as a cause of uncontrolled asthma: a case-control multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia can affect the control of asthma when both diseases are present in a single patient. OBJECTIVES: To characterize asthma in patients with concomitant fibromyalgia to assess whether fibromyalgia is an independent factor of asthma severity that influences poor asthma control. We also evaluated how dyspnea is perceived by patients in order to demonstrate that alterations in the perception of airway obstruction may be responsible for poor asthma control. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional case-control multicenter study, in which 56 patients in the asthma and fibromyalgia group were matched to 36 asthmatics by sex, approximate age, and asthma severity level. All patients were women. Study variables included the Asthma Control Test (ACT), the Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ), the Nijmegen hyperventilation syndrome questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and perception of dyspnea after acute bronchoconstriction. RESULTS: Although patients in both study groups showed similar asthma severity and use of anti-asthmatic drugs, patients in the asthma and fibromyalgia group showed lower scores on the ACT and MiniAQLQ questionnaires, and higher scores of anxiety and depression as well as hyperventilation compared to asthma patients without fibromyalgia. All these differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Fibromyalgia in patients with asthma influences poor control of the respiratory disease and is associated with altered perception of dyspnea, hyperventilation syndrome, high prevalence of depression and anxiety, and impaired quality of life. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Fibromyalgia may be considered a risk factor for uncontrolled asthma in patients suffering from asthma and fibromyalgia concomitantly.

Transbronchial Cryobiopsy in Interstitial Lung Disease: Are We on the Right Path?

BACKGROUND: A definitive and specific diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) often requires a histologic analysis of the lung parenchyma. A transbronchial biopsy with forceps has a limited diagnostic yield for idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. The incorporation of a transbronchial lung cryobiopsy for diagnosing ILD appears to be very promising, although there are only a few published studies in this regard. Our paper shows the results of using this technique in our center. METHODS: This was a prospective study including 55 patients with ILD diagnosed from January 2012 to January 2015. The methodology used, the overall diagnostic yield, and the number and the location of samples, in addition to complications, have been reported. RESULTS: In 38 (69%), 10 (20.8%), and 7 (12.7%) cases, we obtained a certain, highly likely, and unclassifiable diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia, respectively. With 18 cases, usual interstitial pneumonia was the most common diagnosis. The most common complication was a pneumothorax in 8 patients (14.5%). CONCLUSIONS: A transbronchial lung cryobiopsy using a flexible cryoprobe has a good diagnostic yield and might be an alternative to consider in cases of diffuse ILD in which a histologic sample is required for diagnosis. This technique could avoid a large number of surgical biopsies.

[Spirometry in primary care in Navarre, Spain]. / La espirometría en atención primaria en Navarra.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the use and quality of spirometry in primary care settings in Navarre, Spain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire was completed simultaneously by professionals responsible for spirometry in all of the primary health care centers in Navarre. Data were collected on availability, model of spirometer, frequency of use, calibration, methods, personnel responsible for testing, and training of personnel. Then, baseline spirometry without a bronchodilator test was performed in 171 patients in their primary health care center and then the test was repeated on the same day in a hospital pneumology department. Spirometry was supervised by 2 pneumologists who jointly assessed the acceptability of the flow-volume curves. The quality of spirometry was assessed according to the recommendations of the American Thoracic Society and the interpretation of spirometry results according to the criteria of the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR). RESULTS: A total of 90.9% of primary health care centers in Navarre have a spirometer, although 22% of those spirometers have never been used. Only 2 centers performed between 10 and 20 spirometry tests per week and none performed more than 20. In 96% of primary health care centers the spirometers were not regularly calibrated. The professionals who performed spirometry were not dedicated for that task in 51.2% of cases, and the mean period of supervised training was 10 hours. When comparisons were made between the mean values obtained in the primary care centers and the pneumology department, statistically significant differences were detected for forced vital capacity (P < .0001) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (P = .0002). Significant differences were also found between the flow-volume curves performed in the 2 different care settings for the initial and end portions of the curve as well as for the slope. The criteria for reproducibility recommended by the American Thoracic Society were not met in 76% of cases for forced vital capacity and 39.7% of cases for forced expiratory volume in the first second. Incorrect functional diagnosis occurred in 39.7% of spirometry tests and there was a tendency in the primary care settings to falsely diagnose patterns as restrictive and to inadequately classify the severity of obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that spirometers are available in the majority of primary health care centers in Navarre, we found a marked underuse of these devices and little compliance with recommendations for the use of spirometry. Furthermore, the quality of the measurements performed in this care setting was very low.