Afectación respiratoria por coronavirus (COVID-19) / Respiratory involvement by coronavirus (COVID-19)

In December 2019, an epidemic of cases with unexplained lower respiratory infections detected in Wuhan, China was first reported to the WHO China Office. The respiratory picture presents in various ways, from asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic forms, to clinical conditions characterized by respiratory failure that require mechanical ventilation and support in the ICU, with multi-organ and systemic manifestations in terms of sepsis, septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndromes. The etiological agent was identified as a virus belonging to the coronavirus family (CoV) with a high contagion capacity that determined its rapid spread, triggering a pandemic with high morbidity and mortality. This review attempts to address the basics of this disease.

Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica en el Siglo XXI - Optimismo basado en evidencia / Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the 21st Century - Evidence-based optimism

There are increasingly more data on the prevalence and distribution of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) from around the world. COPD is predicted to be the third most frequent cause of death in the world by 2020. COPD is mainly caused by chronic tobacco smoking, which induces important changes in both the airways and lung parenchyma. COPD is a progressive, disabling condition that ultimately ends in respiratory failure and death. Is a multicomponent disease, there is evidence that systemic inflammation and extrapulmonary effects are also common in COPD, although the association between systemic inflammation and systemic manifestations of COPD is still not entirely clear. COPD has been associated with a nihilistic attitude. On the basis of current evidence, this nihilistic attitude is totally unjustified. The disease must be viewed through the lens of a new paradigm: COPD is not only preventable but also treatable. The past decade has witnessed great progress in COPD research. New drugs have been developed and tested and a growing base of scientific evidence now documents the efficacy of various therapies for symptoms and exacerbations. It is clear that many patients with COPD can benefit from aggressive management, with a decrease in the frequency of hospitalizations and improvements in symptoms and quality of life. In addition, basic and clinical scientists have now identified cells, mechanisms, and molecules that appear to play key roles in disease pathogenesis. Additional novel treatments are on the horizon and the advent of newer and more effective therapies will lead to a decline in the contribution of this disease to poor world health. The good news about COPD is to increase awareness of the disease. COPD is now viewed under a new paradigm as preventable and treatable.

Caracterización general de los pacientes con EPOC de la Región del Maule: resultados preliminares del estudio MaulEPOC / General characterization of COPD patients from the Maule Region, Chile: preliminary results of the MaulEPOC study

El objetivo de esta comunicación fue evaluar el perfil epidemiológico de los pacientes con Enfermedad Pulmonar Obstructiva Crónica (EPOC) de la Región del Maule. Para ello, se contó con 127 pacientes EPOC clínicamente estables derivados por parte del neumólogo o que fueron atendidos en el centro de diagnóstico terapéutico del Hospital Regional de Talca durante el año 2016. Los pacientes fueron sometidos a una serie de pruebas de función pulmonar y debieron contestar un cuestionario para conocer antecedentes clínicos y epidemiológicos. Tras el estudio, fueron clasificados de acuerdo al criterio GOLD que integra medidas de síntomas, disnea, espirometría y riesgo de exacerbaciones. El 56% de los pacientes fueron varones y el promedio de edad en ambos sexos fue de 71,4 años (IC 95% 67,89-71,28). Un 27% tuvieron un nivel de escolarización ≤ 4 años. El 25% fueron clasificados como GOLD A, el 33% B, el 9% C y el 33% D. El 61% de los pacientes presentaron una exposición significativa simultánea a humo de cigarrillo y humo de biomasa. Los pacientes EPOC de la Región del Maule son fundamentalmente varones, adultos mayores y, frecuentemente, con bajo nivel de escolaridad. Los principales factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de la enfermedad en esta cohorte fueron la exposición simultánea a humo de tabaco y de combustibles de biomasa. La mayoría de los pacientes se encuentran en los estadios más leves de la enfermedad. Nuestros hallazgos identificaron las principales áreas que deben ser intervenidas para mejorar el manejo de la EPOC en la Región del Maule.

This study aimed to assess the epidemiological profile of subjects from the Maule Region (Chile) suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We recruited 127 stable-COPD patients who were attended by a pulmonologist or treated at Hospital Regional de Talca during 2016. All patients underwent lung functional tests and answered a standardized questionnaire to obtain clinical and epidemiological data. Patients were classified according to the GOLD combined COPD assessment criteria, which included symptomatic assessment with the patient's spirometric classification and risk of exacerbations. GOLD A, B, C and D categories consisted of 25%, 33%, 9% and 33% of patients respectively. The mean age was 71.4 years (CI 95% 64.7-73.7) and 56% of the patients were male. A 27% of subjects completed 4 or less years of schooling. 61% of patients showed a significant combined exposure to both cigarette and biomass smoke. COPD patients from the Maule Region are mostly elderly male, often showing a low educational level. The main COPD risk factor in this cohort was the simultaneous exposure to cigarette and biomass smoke. Most patients are in the milder stages of COPD. Our findings identified the main areas that can be intervened to improve COPD management in the Maule Region.

Efectores celulares de la respuesta inflamatoria en la enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Cellular effectors of the inflammatory response in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Approximately 3 million people in the world die every year as a consequence of COPD, which is associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lung to noxious particles and gases. This inflammatory pattern causes pathological changes leading to a narrowing of small airways and destruction of lung parenchyma, also known as emphysema. Classically, these changes were associated to macrophages and neutrophils, although T CD8+ lymphocytes were latter added to the equation to explain the origin of emphysematous lesions. However, in recent years, multiple evidences have arisen indicating that inflammatory response in COPD is much more complex. These findings point to a key role for mast cells, dendritic cells, T CD4+ and B cells. The aim of this article is to review such evidence and report what is known so far about those cells involved in the inflammatory response in COPD.

Fenotipos clínicos en enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica: ¿volver al futuro? / Clinical phenotypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous disease, that is defined by the degree of obstruction rendered by the forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEVj). This is a good parameter to define the severity of the disease but does not account for its heterogeneity and does not provide a good comprehension of its different clinical behaviors and responses to treatment. Therefore, the classification of these patients in different clinical phenotypes has been attempted, trying to search for common clinical behaviors and responses to treatment. These phenoptypes must be validated in longitudinal studies. Some of the phenotypes detected are COPD with chronic respiratory failure and responsive to home oxygen therapy, COPD with upper lobe emphysema and responsive to volume reduction surgery, COPD with frequent exacerbation behavior, COPD resembling bronchitis and responsive to Roflumilast and possibly, COPD with systemic involvement. Historically, the phenotypes pink puffer, blue bloater, chronic bronchitis were defined. In the next years, we will know if the definitions of these phenotypes will aid in the management of patients with COPD.

Costo-efectividad de la rehabilitación respiratoria en pacientes con enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica / Cost-effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Patients with chronic respiratory disease are heavy users of health care and social services resources worldwide. Although the major goals of pulmonary rehabilitation programs are to reduce levels of morbidity and to improve activity as well as participation in patients with chronic respiratory disease, their role in the management of these patients must also be validated by cost-effectiveness. Pulmonary rehabilitation's role in decreasing utilization of health care resources is an important potential benefit. Pulmonary rehabilitation is an effective intervention in patients disabled by chronic respiratory disease; however, there are relatively few studies that evaluate its effect on health care utilization. An 18-session, 6-week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program decreased inpatient hospital days and decreased the number of home visits when compared with standard medical management. A comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis of the addition of this multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation program to standard care for patients with chronic disabling respiratory disease concluded that the program was cost-effective and produced cost per quality-adjusted-life-years (QALY) ratios within the bounds considered to be cost-effective and therefore likely to result in financial benefits to the health care system. Patients with COPD who receive an education intervention with supervision and support based on disease-specific self management principles have decreased hospital admissions, decreased emergency department visits, and reduced number of unscheduled physician visits. This approach of care through self-management strategies is of interest because it does not require specialized resources and could be implemented within normal health care practice. In a before-after designed study, a community-based, 18-session, comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation program was associated with an average reduction of total costs of US$344 per person per year. This wa...

Los pacientes con enfermedades respiratorias crónicas son grandes consumidores de recursos sanitarios y servicios sociales en todo el mundo. Aunque el principal objetivo de los programas de rehabilitación pulmonar es aliviar la disnea y mejorar la capacidad física, su papel en el manejo de los pacientes con afecciones respiratorias crónicas debe ser validado por estudios de costo-efectividad. La reducción del empleo de los recursos sanitarios puede ser un beneficio potencial importante de los programas de rehabilitación respiratoria multidisciplinarios. La rehabilitación pulmonar ha demostrado ser una intervención efectiva en los pacientes con discapacidad por enfermedad respiratoria crónica, sin embargo, existen relativamente pocos estudios que hayan examinado su efecto sobre la utilización de recursos sanitarios. En un programa ambulatorio de rehabilitación pulmonar de seis semanas se observó una reducción en los días de hospitalización y el número de visitas domiciliarias en comparación con el tratamiento médico estándar. El análisis de costo-efectividad de un programa de rehabilitación pulmonar multidisciplinario en pacientes con enfermedades respiratorias crónicas discapacitantes concluyó que el programa era costo-efectivo en términos de años de vida ajustados por calidad (AVAC) considerados como rentables y por lo tanto es probable que fuera económicamente beneficioso para el sistema de salud. Los pacientes con EPOC que reciben una intervención educativa con supervisión y apoyo basado en los principios de autogestión de la enfermedad disminuyen los ingresos hospitalarios, las visitas a los servicios de urgencias y el número de visitas médicas no programadas. Este enfoque de la atención, basado en estrategias de autocuidado, es de interés, ya que no requiere de recursos especializados y podría aplicarse en la práctica de salud habitual. Un programa integral de rehabilitación pulmonar basado en la comunidad se asoció a una reducción promedio de los costos...

Enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica: Mirada actual a una enfermedad emergente / Update on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), mainly caused by smoking, is predicted to be the third most frequent cause of death in the world by 2020. It is a multicomponent, progressive, disabling condition that ultimately ends in respiratory failure and death. There is evidence that systemic inflammation and extra pulmonary effects are also common in COPD, although the association between systemic inflammation and systemic manifestations of COPD is still not entirely clear. COPD is not only preventable but also treatable and the past decade has witnessed great progress in COPD research. New drugs have been developed and tested and a growing base of scientifc evidence now documents the efficacy of several therapies for symptoms and exacerbations. It is clear that many patients with the disease can beneft from an aggressive management, with a decrease in the frequency of hospitalizations and improvements in symptoms and quality of life. Moreover, basic and clinical scientists have now identifed cells, mechanisms, and molecules that play key roles in its pathogenesis. The advent of newer and more effective therapies will lead to a decline in the contribution of this disease to worldwide disease burden. COPD is now viewed under a new paradigm as preventable and treatable.