Sleep and cardiometabolic comorbidities in the obstructive sleep apnoea-COPD overlap syndrome: data from the European Sleep Apnoea Database.

Aim: The impact of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)-COPD overlap syndrome (OVS) on sleep quality and cardiovascular outcomes has not been fully explored. We aimed to compare clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of patients with OVS versus patients with OSA, and to explore pathophysiological links between OVS and comorbidities. Study design and methods: This cross-sectional analysis initially included data from 5600 patients with OSA and lung function in the European Sleep Apnoea Database. Two subgroups of patients with OSA (n=1018) or OVS (n=509) were matched (2:1) based on sex, age, body mass index and apnoea-hypopnea index at baseline. Results: After matching, patients with OVS had more severe hypoxia, lower sleep efficiency and presented with higher prevalences of arterial hypertension, ischaemic heart disease and heart failure compared with patients with OSA. OVS was associated with a significant decrease in sleep efficiency (mean difference (ß) -3.0%, 95% CI -4.7 to -1.3) and in nocturnal mean peripheral oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO2) (ß -1.1%, 95% CI -1.5 to -0.7). Further analysis revealed that a decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s and arterial oxygen tension was related to a decrease in sleep efficiency and in mean nocturnal SpO2. A COPD diagnosis increased the odds of having heart failure by 1.75 (95% CI 1.15-2.67) and systemic hypertension by 1.36 (95% CI 1.07-1.73). Nocturnal hypoxia was strongly associated with comorbidities; the mean nocturnal SpO2 and T90 (increase in time below SpO2 of 90%) were associated with increased odds of systemic hypertension, diabetes and heart failure but the oxygen desaturation index was only related to hypertension and diabetes. Conclusion: Patients with OVS presented with more sleep-related hypoxia, a reduced sleep quality and a higher risk for heart failure and hypertension.

Clinical characteristics and positive airway pressure adherence among elderly European sleep apnoea patients from the ESADA cohort.

Background: The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is growing as the population is ageing. However, data on the clinical characteristics of elderly patients with OSA and their adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment are scarce. Methods: Data from 23 418 30-79-year-old OSA patients prospectively collected into the ESADA database during 2007-2019 were analysed. Information on PAP use (h·day-1) in association with a first follow-up visit was available for 6547 patients. The data was analysed according to 10-year age groups. Results: The oldest age group was less obese, less sleepy and had a lower apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) compared with middle-aged patients. The insomnia phenotype of OSA was more prevalent in the oldest age group than in the middle-aged group (36%, 95% CI 34-38 versus 26%, 95% CI 24-27, p<0.001). The 70-79-year-old group adhered to PAP therapy equally well as the younger age groups with a mean PAP use of 5.59 h·day-1 (95% CI 5.44-5.75). PAP adherence did not differ between clinical phenotypes based on subjective daytime sleepiness and sleep complaints suggestive of insomnia in the oldest age group. A higher score on the Clinical Global Impression Severity (CGI-S) scale predicted poorer PAP adherence. Conclusion: The elderly patient group was less obese, less sleepy, had more insomnia symptoms and less severe OSA, but were rated to be more ill compared with the middle-aged patients. Elderly patients with OSA adhered to PAP therapy equally well as middle-aged patients. Low global functioning (measured by CGI-S) in the elderly patient predicted poorer PAP adherence.

Severe asthma in the era of COVID-19: A narrative review.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Severe asthma management during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a challenge and will continue to be, at least in the next few months, as herd immunity is still a mirage. A lot has to be learned about how COVID-19 affects underlying diseases, and severe asthma is no exception. METHODS: Narrative review of papers available until February 2021 in PubMed and Google Scholar, relating severe asthma and COVID-19. Four main research topics were reviewed: SARS-CoV-2 infection: immunology and respiratory pathology; interrelationship of severe asthma endotypes and COVID-19 disease mechanisms; severe asthma epidemiology and COVID-19; and biologics for severe asthma in the context of COVID-19. RESULTS: COVID-19 disease mechanisms start with upper respiratory cell infection, and afterwards several immunological facets are activated, contributing to disease severity, namely cell-mediated immunity and antibody production. Although infrequent in the COVID-19 course some patients develop a cytokine storm that causes organ damage and may lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome or multiorgan failure. Regarding severe asthma endotypes, type2-high might have a protective role both in infection risk and disease course. There is conflicting data regarding the epidemiological relationship between COVID-19 among severe asthma patients, with some studies reporting increased risk of infection and disease course, whereas others the other way round. Biologics for severe asthma do not seem to increase the risk of infection and severe COVID-19, although further evidence is needed. CONCLUSIONS: Globally, in the era of COVID-19, major respiratory societies recommend continuing the biologic treatment, preferably in a self-home administration program.

Long-term home non-invasive ventilation in chronic hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients: Real-world impact on lung function, acute exacerbations and survival.

INTRODUCTION: Although long-term home non-invasive ventilation (H-NIV) has been used among chronic hypercapnic COPD patients, its clinical benefit is still on debate. We aim to assess the impact of H-NIV in chronic hypercapnic COPD patients. METHODS: COPD patients who initiated H-NIV between January 2010 and December 2017 were included. Patients with concomitant respiratory disorders were excluded. Acute exacerbation (AE) before and 2 years after H-NIV initiation was assessed as main outcome. Secondary outcomes included lung function and gas exchange parameters. Survival since H-NIV initiation was determined, and factors related with survival were explored. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients were enrolled. A decrease in partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2 ) in arterial blood (p < 0.001) and an improvement of partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2 ) (p < 0.001) were achieved using a high-intensity H-NIV. Regarding lung function, residual volume (RV) reduced (p = 0.010) and forced-expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ) improved (p = 0.043) after H-NIV initiation. No significant differences in 6-min walking test (6MWT) were found. Compared with the year before H-NIV initiation, the number of AE diminished in the first and in the second years of follow-up (p < 0.001). The median survival was 79.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 52.9-105.1), and the covered distance in 6MWT predicted survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.026, p = 0.003) in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: High-intensity H-NIV significantly improved FEV1 and hyperinflation, decreased frequency of AEs and led to a remarkable median survival, which was independently predicted by the walking distance in 6MWT.

Non-invasive ventilation in the elderly - never too late!

Dear Editor, Practising evidence-based medicine in an ageing population is challenging. Nevertheless, using age as a diagnostic or therapeutic procedure contraindication is less and less common. Domiciliary non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in chronic respiratory failure patients has been largely used; however, data from older people is scarce...

Sleep quality in times of Covid-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease outbreak, social distancing measures were imposed to control the spread of the pandemic. However, isolation may affect negatively the psychological well-being and impair sleep quality. Our aim was to evaluate the sleep quality of respiratory patients during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. METHODS: All patients who underwent a telemedicine appointment from March 30 to April 30 of 2020 were asked to participate in the survey. Sleep difficulties were measured using Jenkins Sleep Scale. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 365 patients (mean age 63.9 years, 55.6% male, 50.1% with sleep-disordered breathing [SDB]). During the lockdown, 78.9% of participants were confined at home without working. Most patients (69.6%) reported at least one sleep difficulty and frequent awakenings was the most prevalent problem. Reporting at least one sleep difficulty was associated with home confinement without working, female gender and diagnosed or suspected SDB, after adjustment for cohabitation status and use of anxiolytics. Home confinement without working was associated with difficulties falling asleep and waking up too early in the morning. Older age was a protective factor for difficulties falling asleep, waking up too early and non-restorative sleep. Notably, SDB patients with good compliance to positive airway pressure therapy were less likely to report sleep difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: Home confinement without working, female gender and SDB may predict a higher risk of reporting sleep difficulties. Medical support during major disasters should be strengthened and potentially delivered through telemedicine, as this comprehensive approach could reduce psychological distress and improve sleep quality.

The Portuguese Severe Asthma Registry: Development, Features, and Data Sharing Policies.

The Portuguese Severe Asthma Registry (Registo de Asma Grave Portugal, RAG) was developed by an open collaborative network of asthma specialists. RAG collects data from adults and pediatric severe asthma patients that despite treatment optimization and adequate management of comorbidities require step 4/5 treatment according to GINA recommendations. In this paper, we describe the development and implementation of RAG, its features, and data sharing policies. The contents and structure of RAG were defined in a multistep consensus process. A pilot version was pretested and iteratively improved. The selection of data elements for RAG considered other severe asthma registries, aiming at characterizing the patient's clinical status whilst avoiding overloading the standard workflow of the clinical appointment. Features of RAG include automatic assessment of eligibility, easy data input, and exportable data in natural language that can be pasted directly in patients' electronic health record and security features to enable data sharing (among researchers and with other international databases) without compromising patients' confidentiality. RAG is a national web-based disease registry of severe asthma patients, available at asmagrave.pt. It allows prospective clinical data collection, promotes standardized care and collaborative clinical research, and may contribute to inform evidence-based healthcare policies for severe asthma.

Pneumology and sleep disordered breathing training in Portugal.

In Portugal, a medical degree takes 6 years, including a master's degree, ever since the Bologna Agreement of 2009. After this, and according to the Ordem dos Médicos (College of Physicians), one must complete 2 years of fully supervised clinical practice to be able to practice medicine. During this period, junior doctors rotate through several different medical and chirurgical specialties, after which and according to their grade on a national examination, they chose a specialty and location. Pneumology/respiratory medicine is one of the options and every year roughly 30 residents begin this 5-year specialty. Junior doctors usually choose where to perform their residency according to the subspecialties available in a particular hospital, their relationship with academia, opportunities for research projects and to go abroad, among other factors.

Evaluation of adherence to ambulatory liquid oxygen treatment: are commercialized dual-pressure transducers helpful?

BACKGROUND: Treatment adherence is widely recognized as a critical problem in long-term oxygen therapy, particularly in ambulatory liquid oxygen (LOX) systems. Adherence-monitoring strategies may be helpful in managing patients. We evaluated subjects' adherence to LOX using VisionOx and compared these results with the subjects' own adherence diaries and self-reported perceptions of use. METHODS: Patients using LOX were recruited for a clinical interview; the number of days/week and the mean time of use according to subjects' perceptions were recorded. A 14-day diary was provided for every subject while VisionOx was attached to the LOX. VisionOx is a small device that uses pressure transducers to detect oxygen flow and the subject's breathing frequency. Information is stored and downloaded using dedicated software. RESULTS: Nineteen subjects were included (57.9% male with a median age of 63 years). When asked about the perception of LOX use, subjects self-reported using the device for a median of 100.0% of days (78.9% reported to have used it every day) for a median time of 180 min/day. According to data from VisionOx and subjects' diaries during the 14-day evaluation period, the median use was 92.8% of days for 210 min/day. No difference was found between the diaries and VisionOx data. Regarding subjects' perceptions of use, the declared use of LOX percent was significantly higher than reported in the diaries (P = .045) and VisionOx monitoring (P = .045) even though both underestimated the median use per day. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects overestimated adherence to LOX therapy (when measuring percent of days of use) compared to adherence diary and objective adherence monitoring. Because no significant difference was found comparing the diaries and VisionOx use, either may be helpful in clinical practice.

Mycobacterium avium complex infection in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Reliable markers of disease progression or stability to assist in management decisions are lacking in patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. METHODS: Data from 52 adults with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and coexisting MAC infection managed at our institution over a 5-year period were retrospectively analysed. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans were scored using a scoring system that focused on findings associated with MAC infection. RESULTS: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis was independently associated with mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 8.916, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.324-60.027), as were nodules with cavitation (HR = 5.911, 95% CI = 1.095-25.911) and emphysema (HR = 1.027, 95% CI = 1.002-1.053) on HRCT. Anti-MAC chemotherapy was more likely to lead to MAC culture conversion (67% vs. 27%, P = 0.005) but did not improve survival as compared with patients managed with observation. Longitudinally, patients who had improvements in HRCT scores were younger (60.2 ± 9.19 years vs. 69.83 ± 12.43 years, P = 0.043), while the presence of cavitation within nodules predicted a deterioration in HRCT scores (0.5 (0-3) vs. 0 (0-1), P = 0.033). No significant longitudinal differences were found in lung function in the cohort as a whole or within different groups. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with bronchiectasis and coexisting MAC infection is a strong predictor of mortality. Cavitation within nodules and emphysema on HRCT at presentation were independently associated with mortality.

5-years APAP adherence in OSA patients--do first impressions matter?

BACKGROUND: Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is effective in treating obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), inadequate adherence remains a major cause of treatment failure. This study aimed to determine long term adherence to auto adjusting-CPAP (APAP) and its influencing factors including the role of initial compliance. METHODS: Eighty-eight male patients with newly diagnosed moderate/severe OSA were included. After initiation of APAP treatment, patients had periodic follow-up appointments at 2 weeks, 6 months and then annually for at least 5 years. Patient's compliance to therapy was assessed in each appointment and predictors to treatment abandonment and poor compliance were evaluated. RESULTS: The studied population had a mean age of 53.8 years and mean apnoea-hypopnoea index of 52.71/h. The mean time of follow-up was 5.2 (± 1.6) years, during that time 22 (25%) patients abandoned APAP, those who maintained treatment had good compliance to it since 94% of them used it more than 4 h/day for at least 70% of days. A significant negative association was found between age, % of days and mean time of APAP use on 12th day and 6th month and the risk of abandoning. APAP use lower than 33% and 57% of days at 12th day and 6th month, respectively had high specificity (≈ 100%) to detect treatment abandonment. CONCLUSIONS: the majority of patients adheres to long term APAP treatment and has good compliance after 5-years of follow-up. Age and initial compliance (% days of use and mean hour/day) have the ability to predict future adherence, as soon as 12 days and 6 months after initiation.

Pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with bronchiectasis: pulmonary function, arterial blood gases, and the 6-minute walk test.

BACKGROUND: Information regarding the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on pulmonary function (PF), arterial blood gases (ABG), and 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) in patients with bronchiectasis is scant in the literature. METHODS: To evaluate the effects of PR on these indices in this population, a retrospective evaluation of those who attended PR from 2007 to 2010, was made. Pulmonary rehabilitation lasted a mean of 12 weeks and included cycle ergometer exercise for 30 minutes, 3 times per week, with additional upper limbs and quadriceps training. PF, ABG, and 6MWD were evaluated before and after PR to determine the potential influence of gender, exacerbations, underlying cause of bronchiectasis, severity of obstruction, and colonization with bacteria. RESULTS: Forty-one patients (48.8% males; median age, 54 years) were included; 25 had severe obstruction and 19 were colonized with bacteria. Following PR, no significant changes were detected in PF or ABG. Median 6MWD before PR was 425 m and post-PR was 450 m (P = .431). Outcomes did not show any interaction with gender, colonization, or exacerbations. However, patients with idiopathic bronchiectasis did show a significant improvement in forced vital capacity in percent of predicted and residual volume after PR (P = .016 and .048, respectively). Patients with severe obstruction showed a statistically significant decrease in percent of predicted residual volume (P = .025). CONCLUSION: There appears to be a beneficial impact of PR on PF in certain groups of patients with bronchiectasis. In addition, PR indications and protocols for patients with bronchiectasis may need to be adapted to accommodate specific patients, so that expressive exercise capacity improvement can be achieved.