FeNO and Exercise Testing in Children at Risk of Asthma.

BACKGROUND: Exercise testing is the gold standard for diagnosing exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in children, but requires considerable cooperation and medical resources. Therefore, fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has been proposed as a tool to predict the need for exercise testing. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between FeNO, exercise test results, and a history of respiratory symptoms during exercise in children at risk of asthma. METHODS: FeNO measurement, exercise testing, and interview about respiratory symptoms during exercise were completed in 224 seven-year-old children from the at-risk Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood2000 birth cohort. The associations between FeNO, exercise test results, and reported respiratory symptoms during exercise were analyzed adjusting for gender, respiratory infections, and inhaled corticosteroid treatment. The associations were also analyzed stratified by asthma and atopic status. RESULTS: Of the 224 children, 28 (13%) had an established asthma diagnosis and 58 (26%) had a positive exercise test (≥15% drop in forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1] from baseline). FeNO and bronchial obstruction after exercise were linearly associated with a doubling of FeNO corresponding to a 2.4% drop in FEV1 (95% confidence interval, 0.8-4.1; P < .01). However, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the best cutoff of FeNO for predicting exercise test outcome among children who reported respiratory symptoms during exercise was 17 ppb, which only had 74% negative predictive value. There was no association between FeNO and reported respiratory symptoms during exercise (odds ratio = 1.3 [0.8-1.9]; P = .29) or reported symptoms during exercise and exercise test results (odds ratio = 1.0 [1.0-1.1]; P = .12). CONCLUSIONS: A history of respiratory symptoms during exercise was not associated with either elevated FeNO or a positive exercise test in children at risk of asthma. FeNO and exercise test results were linearly associated traits, but FeNO could not reliably be used dichotomized to predict the need of exercise testing.

Elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia are not treated according to current guidelines.

INTRODUCTION: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients, and the most important cause of death in the developed world. Optimised treatment and care will benefit patients as well as the health economy. This study investigated in-hospital compliance with guidelines for treatment and care of patients with CAP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective nationwide study examining 100 patient records from 20 Danish hospitals regarding patients 65 years and older admitted for CAP. RESULTS: A total of 74 patients with a mean age 81.6 years were included. The mean length of stay was 9.2 days, 30- and 90-day mortality rates were 12.2 and 17.6% and readmission rates 4% (seven days) and 9.5% (30 days). Severity assessment was made in two cases. Observations of vital parameters were unsystematic and the respiratory rate was measured only in six cases. Diagnostic tests and treatment initiation were mostly in accordance with guidelines. The mean number of days on intravenous antibiotics was 5.5. Nutrition and mobilisation were neglected or only sporadically addressed. No systematic plan for treatment and care was found. CONCLUSION: While medical treatment mainly concurred with guidelines, a potential for reduced costs by early discharge planning and use of systematic assessment tools for site-of-care and treatment decisions was indicated. The lack of systematic interventions in the prevention and treatment of malnutrition and functional decline constitutes a threat to a successful final patient outcome. FUNDING: The Danish Ministry of Health funded the study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Danish Data Register approved the project (J. No. 2010-41-5358).

Study protocol. The Childhood Health, Activity, and Motor Performance School Study Denmark (The CHAMPS-study DK).

BACKGROUND: An increasingly passive life-style in the Western World has led to a rise in life-style related disorders. This is a major concern for all segments of society. The county council of the municipality of Svendborg in Denmark, created six Sport Schools with increased levels of suitable physical activities, which made it possible to study the health outcomes in these children whilst comparing them to children who attended the 'normal' schools of the region using the design of a "natural experiment". METHODS: Children from the age of 6 till the age of 10, who accepted to be included in the monitoring process, were surveyed at baseline with questionnaires, physical examinations and physical and biological testing, including DXA scans. The physical examination and testing was repeated during the early stage of the study. Every week over the whole study period, the children will be followed with an automated mobile phone text message (SMS-Track) asking questions on their leisure time sports activities and the presence of any musculoskeletal problems. Children who report any such problems are monitored individually by health care personnel. Data are collected on demography, health habits and attitudes, physical characteristics, physical activity using accelerometers, motor performance, fitness, bone health, life-style disorders, injuries and musculoskeletal problems. Data collection will continue at least once a year until the children reach grade 9. DISCUSSION: This project is embedded in a local community, which set up the intervention (The Sport Schools) and thereafter invited researchers to provide documentation and evaluation. Sport schools are well matched with the 'normal' schools, making comparisons between these suitable. However, subgroups that would be specifically targeted in lifestyle intervention studies (such as the definitely obese) could be relatively small. Therefore, results specific to minority groups may be diluted. Nonetheless, the many rigorously collected data will make it possible to study, for example, the general effect that different levels of physical activity may have on various health conditions and on proxy measures of life-style conditions. Specifically, it will help answer the question on whether increased physical activity in school has a positive effect on health in children.