Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) is defined as an acute and clinically significant respiratory deterioration characterized by evidence of new, widespread alveolar abnormality. In the past, AE-IPF was considered to be idiopathic, which was hard to be prevented and its prognosis was hard to be obviously improved; the latest researches have shown that AE-IPF can be triggered by known causes, including pulmonary infection, aspiration, etc. This review summarizes the etiology or risk factors, treatment and prevention of AE-IPF according to the latest researches.
Objective To investigate the cardiovascular events (CVE) and survival status of patients with bronchiectasis (BE) during follow-up after acute exacerbation. Methods Prospective cohort study was used. Clinical data of 134 BE patients with acute exacerbation who were hospitalized from July 2016 to September 2020 were collected. The patients were followed up after discharge by phone or respiratory clinic every 3 months until November 2022. CVE or death was the endpoint event. Result During the follow-up period, 41 patients developed CVE, while 93 patients did not. Fifty-one patients died during the follow-up period, with a mortality rate of 38.06%. Among them, 41 cases of CVE resulted in 21 deaths, with a mortality rate of 51.22%; 30 cases died in 93 non-CVE patients, with a mortality rate of 32.26%. Logistic regression results showed significant influencing factors for CVE in BE patients were age, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and moderate to severe illness. The significant influencing factors for the death of BE patients were age, COPD, moderate and severe illness, and CVE events. The significant influencing factors for the death of CVE patients were age and receiving CVE treatment. The area under ROC curve (AUC) and 95%CI was 0.858 (0.729 - 0.970) for the warning model for CVE in BE patients. The AUC (95%CI) was 0.867 (0.800 - 0.927) for the warning model for death in BE patients. The AUC (95%CI) was 0.811 (0.640 - 0.976) for the warning model for death of CVE patients. Conclusions Population factors and comorbidities are risk factors for CVE in BE patients after acute exacerbation. The appearance of CVE worsens the long-term prognosis of BE patients. The corresponding warning models have high warning effectiveness with AUC>0.8.
ObjectiveTo assess the mortality, acute exacerbations, exercise capacity, symptoms and significant physiological parameters (lung function, respiratory muscle function and gas exchange) of patients with severe stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with respiratory failure treated by noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV).MethodsA meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was carried out by searching PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, OVID, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and the bibliographies of the retrieved articles up to February 2017. Studies of patients with severe stable COPD with respiratory failure receiving long-term noninvasive positive pressure ventilation and comparison with oxygen therapy were conducted, and at least one of the following parameters were reviewed: frequency of acute exacerbations, mortality, lung function, respiratory muscle function, gas exchange, 6-minute walk test.ResultsSix studies with 695 subjects met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The PaCO2 was significantly decreased in patients who received long-term NPPV. No significant difference was found between long-term NPPV and oxygen therapy in mortality, frequency of acute exacerbations, gas exchange, lung function, respiratory muscle function and exercise capacity. The subgroup analysis showed that NPPV improves survival of patients when it is targeted at greatly reducing hypercapnia.ConclusionCurrent evidence suggests that there is no significant improvement by application of NPPV on severe stable COPD with respiratory failure patients, but NPPV may reduce patients’ mortality with the aim of reducing hypercapnia.
ObjectiveTo investigate the existence of persistent systemic inflammation (PSI) among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in local areas, and identify the risk factors of PSI.MethodsA total of 150 patients with stable COPD and 70 non-smoking healthy individuals were enrolled in our study. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-18 and activin A in serum were detected. Pulmonary function was tested, and basic information of the candidates was acquired at the same time. All of the patients were followed-up at 6 months, 12 months and 24 months for two years. The value at the 95th percentile of the concentration of inflammation markers of non-smoking healthy samples was defined as the threshold value, also known as normal ceiling limit value. Existence of PSI was defined as the condition that two or more kinds of inflammation markers exceed the threshold at each follow-up visit. The COPD patients were categorized into three classes, in which there were respectively none, one and two or more kinds of inflammation markers with over-threshold values. Based on a 2-year followup, patients with two or more kinds of inflammation markers exceeding threshold values were classified as PSI subgroup, and patients without inflammation markers exceeding threshold values as never inflamed subgroup.ResultsThere were 22 patients (14.7%) had persistent systemic inflammation, whereas 60 patients (40.0%) did not show evidence of systemic inflammation. Single factor analysis of two subgroups showed that the patients in PSI subgroup had higher body mass index (BMI), higher smoking index, higher prior frequency of time to exacerbation, higher proportion of patients at high risk for recurrent acute exacerbation during 2-year followup, higher SGRQ total score, lower FEV1%pred and lower FEV1/FVC ratio significantly (all P<0.05). Higher BMI and higher risk of recurrent acute exacerbation were independent risk factors leading to PSI, of which the higher risk of recurrent acute exacerbation had a more important effect on PSI.ConclusionsSome COPD patients have PSI in this region, which may constitute a novel COPD phenotype (called systemic inflammatory phenotype). Higher BMI and higher risk of recurrent acute exacerbation are independent risk factors leading to PSI. Individualized treatment to prevent acute exacerbation and appropriate weight control may be a better intervention for these patients.
Objective To evaluate the value of serumprocalcitonin( PCT) guided antibiotic strategy in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease( AECOPD) .Methods From August 2011 to June 2012, a total of 96 patients hospitalized for AECOPD were randomly assigned into a PCT-guided group( n = 48) and an empirical therapy group( n = 48) . The PCT levels of PCT-guided group were measured by immunochemiluminometric assays before and 5,7, 10 days after treatment. The PCT-guided group was treated with antibiotics according to serum PCT levels, ie. antibiotic treatment was applied when PCT level ≥ 0. 25 μg/L and was discouraged when PCT level lt; 0. 25 μg/L. The empirical therapy group received antibiotics according to physician’s decision. The antibiotics usage rate, length of antibiotic exposure, length of hospitalization, clinical efficacy, hospital mortality, rate of invasive mechanical ventilation and costs of hospitalization were recorded. Results The antibiotics usage rate, length of antibiotic exposure, length of hospitalization, and costs of hospitalization in the PCT-guided group were all lower than those of the empirical therapy group( P lt;0.05) while clinical efficacy, hospital mortality and rate of invasive mechanical ventilation were similar in two groups(Pgt;0.05) . Conclusion PCT guided antibiotic strategy can be used in the treatment of AECOPD, which may reduce the dose of antibiotic drugs to avoid bacterial resistance and lower costs of hospitalization.
ObjectiveTo investigate the value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) by detecting the relationship between NLR and other well-known inflammatory biomarkers.MethodsRetrospective study of 610 AECOPD cases was performed. In order to analyze the influence of NLR level on disease condition, treatment plan and prognosis, the clinical data with acute exacerbation were collected and the value of NLR in AECOPD were analyzed.ResultsThe level of NLR was higher in the group with pneumonia than that in the non-pneumonia group (P<0.05), and the more severe the pulmonary inflammation, the higher the NLR level (P<0.05). The level of NLR was higher in the group with heart failure and the group treated with ventilator and glucocorticoid (P<0.05). The NLR level was higher in the group of hospital stay over 14 days than the group of hospital stay less than 14 days (P<0.05). The NLR value of the death group was higher than that of the survival group (P<0.05). With the increase of NLR value, the mortality rate in hospital increased gradually. Compared with C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, NLR had the highest odds ratio by binary regression analysis. Cutoff value of NLR was 5.92 by analysis of receiver-operating characteristic curve with a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 51%, and the area under the curve in predicting in-hospital death was 0.727 (OR=4.112, 95% confidence interval 0.609 - 0.849, P=0.02).ConclusionsNLR can be used as an inflammatory marker to evaluate the severity of AECOPD and to predict the prognosis.
Objective To explore the clinical value of Wells score combined with thromboelastography (TEG) in rapid prediction of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Methods A total of 130 AECOPD patients admitted to the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of Guangxi University of Science and Technology from January 2022 to March 2023 were selected as the study subjects. According to results of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of the pulmonary artery, the patients were divided into a PE group (n=37) and a non-PE group (n=93). Both groups underwent Wells score analysis combined with TEG. Thromboelastographic parameters were comparing between the two groups, including Wells score, reaction time (R time), reaction time (K time), coagulation index (CI), and maximum amplitude (MA). The diagnostic value of different prediction models to diagnose AECOPD with PE was compared, including Wells score, thromboelogram and Wells score combined with TEG. Results The Wells score of the patients in the PE group was significantly higher than that in the non-PE group, and R time of the patients in the PE group was significantly lower than that in the non-PE group. The K time, CI, MA and other parameter levels of the patients in the PE group were significantly higher than those in the non-PE group (all P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and area under ROC curve of the combination of Wells score and TEG prediction model in diagnosing AECOPD complicated with PE were greater than those of the Wells score alone prediction model (P<0.05). Conclusion The combination of Wells score and TEG has significant clinical value in quickly predicting AECOPD complicated with PE, and is worthy of clinical application and promotion.
