Episodes Of Exacerbation Research Articles

Coexistent Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-Heart Failure: Mechanisms, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Dilemmas

Mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is more often due to cardiac rather than respiratory causes. The coexistence of heart failure (HF) and COPD is frequent but remains under-diagnosed. Both conditions share several similarities including the age of the population affected, a common risk factor in smoking and symptoms of exertional dyspnoea. There is also a strong possibility of COPD promoting atherosclerotic vascular disease through systemic inflammation. Both the conditions are punctuated by episodes of acute exacerbations of symptoms from time to time where differentiation between these two can be especially challenging. Although coexistence of the two is common, more often, only one of the two is diagnosed resulting in under-treatment and unsatisfactory response. Awareness of co-occurrence is essential among both pulmonologists and cardiologists and a high index of suspicion should be maintained. The coexistence of the COPD and HF also poses several challenges in management. Active search for the second disease using clinical examination supplemented with specialised investigations including plasma natriuretic peptides, lung function testing and echocardiography should be carried out followed by appropriate management. Issues such as adverse effects of drugs on cardiac or pulmonary function need to be sorted out by studies in coexistent COPD-HF patients. Caution is advised with use of beta2-agonists in COPD when HF is also present, more so in acute exacerbations. On current evidence, the beneficial effects of selective beta1-blockers should not be denied in stable patients who have coexistent COPD-HF. The prognosis of coexistent COPD and HF is poorer than that in either disease alone. A favourable response in the patient with coexistent COPD and HF depends on proper evaluation of the severity of each of the two and appropriate management with judicious use of medication.

Ebstein Anomaly in the Adult Patient: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Ebstein's disease is a rare congenital malformation, its prevalence is unknown, anatomically it is characterised by low insertion of one or more leaflets of the tricuspid valve on the right ventricular, reduced size of the right ventricle and tricuspid regurgitation. The diagnosis is made by non-invasive cardiac imaging with transthoracic echocardiography. We Case report a 45-year-old woman followed for pulmonary arterial hypertension and recurrent episodes of heart failure exacerbations. She was admitted to the internal medicine department for investigation of portal thrombosis. After a cardiac re-evaluation, the discovery of severe Ebstein's disease at the surgical stage. The proposed therapeutic decision is a Glenn. The evolution is marked by a rapid clinical worsening of the patient before surgery requiring a transfer in cardiac intensive care unit and then to her death. The aim of this article is to review the manifestations of Ebstein anomaly and to highlight its Mimics. Ebstein's disease is a pathology under-diagnosed or diagnosed late because it is rare and because of the clinical presentation which is similar to other pathologies, hence the need to know how to evoke it in order to make the diagnosis.

Ultrasound-guided placement of long peripheral cannula in children with cystic fibrosis.

BackgroundThe natural history of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is a chronic deterioration of lung function with intermittent episodes of pulmonary infectious exacerbations (PExs). Reliable venous access is a milestone of effective management of such exacerbations, managed both in hospital and outpatient chronic therapy. The aim of our study was to analyze the feasibility of ultrasound‐guided positioning of long peripheral catheters (LPC) as reliable midterm venous access in children affected by CF.MethodsIn this single‐center prospective study, over a 60‐month period, we included paediatric CF subjects admitted with PExs and undergoing intravenous antibiotic treatment. LPCs were inserted in all participants by paediatric anaesthesiologists with ultrasound guide technique. Prospective data were collected assessing catheter positioning procedure and complications.ResultsA total of 122 LPC insertions were performed in 55 CF children. Participants had a median age of 6.75 years (interquatile range: 3.7−13.5) at the time of catheter insertion. Implantation was successful on the first attempt in 86% of cases; 2 (1%) major insertion‐related complications were reported. Eighty‐eight percent of catheters were electively removed at the end of antibiotic therapy without any complication. Seven percent of the catheters were removed electively for occlusion and 2% for local dislodgment.ConclusionsThe results of the present study suggest that ultrasound‐guided positioning of LPCs are safe alternative means of peripheral venous access in children with chronic diseases such as CF.

Lifestyle Changes and Exacerbation Frequency of COPD in Times of the Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study is to analyze chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation rates and the effect of patients’ behavioral changes on the exacerbations during the pandemic.MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted in a reference hospital for chest diseases and patients who were hospitalized with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease between March 11, 2019, and March 11, 2020, were designated. Patients’ chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations requiring emergency department visits and/or hospitalization were compared between the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. Each patient was surveyed with 25 questions using telemedicine.Results:Of all the 256 patients, 203 (79%) were male and the mean age was 66 ± 10 years. Compared to the previous year, emergency department visits and hospitalizations in our hospital were significantly lower and less frequent (P < .0001, for both). Smoking habits decreased in 9% of patients, and 60% had hardly spent time outdoors. Only 3 patients reported to spend time indoors. The household mask-use rate while contacting the patient was 50%. As a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient, 33% expressed themselves as “feeling better.” Overall, 92(36%) patients were recorded not to have any exacerbation, and 34 (13%) to have no attacks of worsening were managed at home. Novel exacerbation risk was found to independently correlate with younger age (odds ratio: 0.944, CI: 0.904-0.986, P = .010) and having more frequent episodes of exacerbation in the pre-pandemic period (odds ratio: 1.2, CI: 1.025-1.405, P = .023).Conclusion:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients specifically benefited from confinements, restrictions, and lifestyle changes. Further studies are needed to better identify the most critical factors leading to these positive outcomes. A permanent patient management guideline for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients could be formulated where the weight of lifestyle factors is elevated.

Evaluating Triple Therapy Treatment Pathways in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): A Machine-Learning Predictive Model.

PurposeInhaled triple therapy (TT) comprising a long-acting muscarinic antagonist, long-acting β2 agonist, and inhaled corticosteroid is recommended for symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, or those at risk of exacerbation. However, it is not well understood which patient characteristics contribute most to future exacerbation risk. This study assessed patient predictors associated with future exacerbation time following initiation of TT.Patients and MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used data from the Optum™ Clinformatics™ Data Mart, a large health claims database in the United States. COPD patients who initiated TT between January 2008 and March 2018 (index) were eligible. Patients were required to be aged ≥18 years at index and have continuous enrollment for the 12 months prior to index (baseline) and the 12 months following index (follow-up). Patients who had received TT during baseline were excluded. Data from eligible patients were analyzed using a reverse engineering forward simulation machine learning platform to predict future COPD exacerbation time.ResultsData from 73,625 patients were included. The model found that prior exacerbation was largely correlated with post-index exacerbation time; patients who had ≥4 exacerbation episodes during baseline had an average increase of 32.4 days post-index exacerbation, compared with patients with no exacerbations during baseline. Likewise, ≥2 inpatient visits (effect size 27.1 days), the use of xanthines (effect size 11.5 days), or rheumatoid arthritis (effect size 6.4 days) during baseline were associated with increased exacerbation time. Conversely, diagnosis of anemia (effect size –5.68 days), or oral corticosteroids in the past month (effect size –3.43 days) were associated with reduced exacerbation time.ConclusionFrequent prior exacerbations, healthcare resource utilization, xanthine use, and rheumatoid arthritis were the strongest factors predicting the future increase of exacerbations. These results improve our understanding of exacerbation risk among COPD patients initiating triple therapy.

Scrutiny of Role of Indolamine Inhibition in Asthma Using Animal Model

Background: Asthma is a debilitating chronic inflammatory disease of airway with frequent episodes of exacerbations. It confers great burden on health systems due to associated symptoms like cough, wheeze, chest tightness and shortness of breath. We have explored the effect of an important indoleamine inhibitor on important asthmatic parameters in this study. Aim: Exploration of an alternative pathway of indoleamine inhibition for the treatment of asthma in future. Methods: Forty Wester rats were divided into four groups (normal control, disease control, prednisolone treated, methyltryptophan treated) with ten animals each. Blood samples were collected for eosinophil count. PCR was performed for measuring the IL-5 expression of the lung tissue. Results:1MT significantly reduced the eosinophil levels and mRNA expression of IL-5 through indoleamine inhibition. Conclusion: The pathway of indoleamine inhibition has appeared significant for reducing the inflammation and allergic response in asthma. Further exploration of this pathway can open new dynamics for asthma treatment. Keywords: Asthma, indoleamines, cytokines, eosinophils, inflammation

Remote Monitoring for Prediction and Management of Acute Exacerbations in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (AECOPD).

The progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by episodes of acute exacerbation (AECOPD) of symptoms, decline in respiratory function, and reduction in quality-of-life increasing morbi-mortality and often requiring hospitalization. Exacerbations can be triggered by environmental exposures, changes in lifestyle, and/or physiological and psychological factors to greater or lesser extents depending on the individual’s COPD phenotype. The prediction and early detection of an exacerbation might allow patients and physicians to better manage the acute phase. We summarize the recent scientific data on remote telemonitoring (TM) for the prediction and management of acute exacerbations in COPD patients. We discuss the components of remote monitoring platforms, including the integration of environmental monitoring data; patient reported outcomes collected via interactive Smartphone apps, with data from wearable devices that monitor physical activity, heart rate, etc.; and data from medical devices such as connected non-invasive ventilators. We consider how telemonitoring and the deluge of data it potentially generates could be combined with electronic health records to provide personalized care and multi-disease management for COPD patients.

Radiation diagnostics of the state of ventilation and pulmonary circulation in patients with COPD

COPD is one of the most common human diseases. WHO experts predict an increase in economic damage from COPD by 2020 and claim that they will rank first among respiratory diseases and third among all causes of death. In Ukraine, about 3 million people, or at least 7% of the population, suffer from COPD. The purpose of the study is to analyze the available literature sources to establish the current state of the problem of radiological diagnosis of COPD, to identify problematic issues. Based on the analysis of literature data, it can be concluded that for a comprehensive examination of patients with COPD or suspected COPD, and assessment of external respiration - clinical examination and spirometry, especially in the early stages of the disease - is not enough. It is believed that in the initial stages of COPD, when spirometry and clinical data do not reveal abnormalities, radiological diagnosis is more sensitive than functional tests. Among the modern methods of radiological diagnosis of lung diseases - the method of CT today is the most sensitive and specific method of detecting pathological changes in the lung parenchyma and respiratory tract, it is available and widely used in everyday practice. Also a promising area is the use of functional CT (inspiratory-expiratory CT) - which should improve the assessment of respiratory function, including early detection of patients with COPD, which will promote the in time start of specific treatment, reduce episodes of exacerbations during the disease, assess the dynamics of the pathological process and the effectiveness of treatment, as well as improving the prognosis of work and life expectancy of patients. However, given the lack of unifying works on the study of this method, further studies of the capabilities of computed tomography in the diagnosis of signs of dysfunction of external respiration in patients with COPD are required. First of all, further research is required on the distribution of air trap zones, especially in patients with emphysema, it is desirable that these future studies are not based only on the principle of visual assessment in the form of exclusion / confirmation of air trap zones.

Exploring the Change of Host and Microorganism in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients Based on Metagenomic and Metatranscriptomic Sequencing.

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a universal respiratory disease resulting from the complex interactions between genes and environmental conditions. The process of COPD is deteriorated by repeated episodes of exacerbations, which are the primary reason for COPD-related morbidity and mortality. Bacterial pathogens are commonly identified in patients’ respiratory tracts both in the stable state and during acute exacerbations, with significant changes in the prevalence of airway bacteria occurring during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). Therefore, the changes in microbial composition and host inflammatory responses will be necessary to investigate the mechanistic link between the airway microbiome and chronic pulmonary inflammation in COPD patients.MethodsWe performed metatranscriptomic and metagenomic sequencing on sputum samples for twelve AECOPD patients before treatment and for four of them stable COPD (stabilization of AECOPD patients after treatment). Sequencing reads were classified by Kraken2, and the host gene expression was analyzed by Hisat2 and HTseq. The correlation between genes was obtained by the Spearman correlation coefficient. Mann–Whitney U-test was applied to identify microbes that exhibit significantly different distribution in two groups.ResultsAt the phyla level, the top 5 dominant phyla were Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Fusobacteria. The proportion of dominant gates in metagenomic data was similar in metatranscriptomic data. There were significant differences in the abundance of specific microorganisms at the class level between the two methods. No significant difference between AECOPD and stable COPD was found. However, the different expression levels of 5 host genes were significantly increased in stable COPD and were involved in immune response and inflammatory pathways, which were associated with macrophages.ConclusionOur study may provide a clue to investigate the mechanism of COPD and potential biomarkers in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Clinical, serological and genetic predictors of response to immunotherapy in anti-IgLON5 disease.

Anti-IgLON5 disease is a newly defined clinical entity characterized by a progressive course with high disability and mortality rate. While precise pathogenetic mechanisms remain unclear, features characteristic of both autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases were reported. Data on immunotherapy are limited, and its efficacy remains controversial. In this study, we retrospectively investigated an anti-IgLON5 disease cohort with special focus on clinical, serological and genetic predictors of the immunotherapy response and long-term outcome. Patients were recruited from the GENERATE (German Network for Research on Autoimmune Encephalitis) registry. Along with clinical parameters, anti-IgLON5 immunoglobulin (Ig)G in serum and CSF, anti-IgLON5 IgG1-4, IgA and IgM in serum, neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein in serum as well as human leukocyte antigen-genotypes were determined. We identified 53 patients (symptom onset 63.8 ± 10.3 years, female:male 1:1.5). The most frequent initial clinical presentations were bulbar syndrome, hyperkinetic syndrome or isolated sleep disorder [at least one symptom present in 38% (20/53)]. At the time of diagnosis, the majority of patients had a generalized multi-systemic phenotype; nevertheless, 21% (11/53) still had an isolated brainstem syndrome and/or a characteristic sleep disorder only. About one third of patients [28% (15/53)] reported subacute disease onset and 51% (27/53) relapse-like exacerbations during the disease course. Inflammatory CSF changes were evident in 37% (19/51) and increased blood-CSF-barrier permeability in 46% (21/46). CSF cell count significantly decreased, while serum anti-IgLON5 IgG titre increased with disease duration. The presence of human leukocyte antigen-DRB1*10:01 [55% (24/44)] was associated with higher serum anti-IgLON5 IgG titres. Neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein in serum were substantially increased (71.1 ± 103.9 pg/ml and 126.7 ± 73.3 pg/ml, respectively). First-line immunotherapy of relapse-like acute-to-subacute exacerbation episodes resulted in improvement in 41% (11/27) of patients and early initiation within the first 6 weeks was a predictor for therapy response. Sixty-eight per cent (36/53) of patients were treated with long-term immunotherapy and 75% (27/36) of these experienced no further disease progression (observation period of 20.2 ± 15.4 months). Long-term immunotherapy initiation during the first year after onset and low pre-treatment neurofilament light chain were significant predictors for a better outcome. In conclusion, subacute disease onset and early inflammatory CSF changes support the primary role of autoimmune mechanisms at least at initial stages of anti-IgLON5 disease. Early immunotherapy, prior to advanced neurodegeneration, is associated with a better long-term clinical outcome. Low serum neurofilament light chain at treatment initiation may serve as a potential biomarker of the immunotherapy response.

Psychological distress and health-related quality of life among stable patients with bronchiectasis.

Bronchiectasis is characterized by chronic symptoms and impaired physical activity. Anxiety and depression usually complicate chronic illness. Thus, underdiagnosis of psychological distress in bronchiectasis may lead to increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of physical illness on psychological distress and its association with health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This is a cross-sectional study of adults with bronchiectasis. Patients completed a study questionnaire, the hospital anxiety and depression scale and the World Health Organization quality of life brief (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Physical examination was conducted on all participants. 103 patients were recruited for this study: 54 males (52.4%) and 49 females (47.6%). The average age of the patients was 49.12 ± 14.37 years. The most common predisposing factor for bronchiectasis amongst the patients was previous pulmonary tuberculosis (51 patients, 49.5%). Chronic productive cough, which was reported by 98 of the subjects (95.15%), was the most common symptom. 89 subjects (86.41%) reported episodes of shortness of breath, 82 (79.61%) reported at least one episode of exacerbation, while 52 subjects (50.49%) were hospitalized for bronchiectasis in the previous 12 months. 23 subjects (22.3%) had anxiety and 32 (31.1%) had depression. Anxiety and depression were significantly associated with indicators of severe disease. The subjects recorded low HRQOL scores across all domains. Psychological distress displayed a significant negative association with all the quality-of-life domains except between anxiety and social interaction. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common among patients with bronchiectasis and these symptoms have a negative impact on HRQOL.

The efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus 1% cream vs. sertaconazole 2% cream in the treatment of patients with facial seborrhoeic dermatitis: a randomized blinded trial.

Facial seborrhoeic dermatitis (FSD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder characterized by remission and exacerbation episodes. In most cases, FSD requires long-term treatment. To compare the efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus and sertaconazole in patients with FSD. In total, 60 patients with FSD were enrolled in this double-blind, active-controlled, randomized trial, and instructed to topically apply either pimecrolimus 1% cream (30 patients) or sertaconazole 2% cream (30 patients) twice daily for 4 weeks. Assessment of disease severity was performed using the Scoring Index (SI) at baseline, on Days 14 and 28, and at 4 weeks after treatment cessation. The levels of satisfaction from treatment and any adverse effects (AEs) were also assessed in both groups. Although the severity of disease reduced upon treatment in both groups, application of pimecrolimus caused a significantly better improvement than sertaconazole on Days 14 and 28 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). The rate of relapse was significantly lower in the pimecrolimus compared with the sertaconazole group at 4 weeks after treatment cessation (P = 0.01). The highest level of satisfaction (46.7%) was observed on Day 28 in the pimecrolimus group. Both topical treatments had acceptable safety profiles; however, pimecrolimus 1% cream was significantly (P < 0.01) less irritating than sertaconazole 2% cream. Pimecrolimus is associated with faster response and fewer AEs than sertaconazole in patients with FSD.

An assessment of asthma exacerbations in pediatric patients using a long-acting B2-agonist plus inhaled corticosteroid versus an inhaled corticosteroid alone

BackgroundAn asthma exacerbation is an anticipated sudden worsening of the disease severity, which usually does not respond to conservative therapy. The management of asthma depends on the severity of the disease symptoms, which includes an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a bronchodilator. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of combining a long-acting B2-agonist (LABA) with ICS, compared to ICS alone, to reduce the incidence of asthma exacerbations in pediatric patients, diagnosed with severe persistent asthma. MethodsA retrospective analysis of the medical records was conducted for 586 children, admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) at King Abdullah Specialized Children Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the management of severe persistent asthma symptoms, from January 2016 to September 2019. ResultsThe majority (n = 480, 81.9%) of the patients received fluticasone (Flovent)® as the standard of care ICS treatment for controlling asthma, and a small proportion (n = 106, 18.1%) were treated with a combination of LABA and ICS. A significant increase in the frequency of recurrent asthma exacerbation episodes occurred in the group receiving ICS alone (98.5%), compared to 67.0% in the combination group (p < 0.0001). Moderate to severe exacerbations were significantly higher in the ICS group compared to the combination group (95.6% versus 84.5%, respectively, p = 0.0005). ConclusionsThe current results confirm the substantial efficacy of the LABA/ICS combination therapy in reducing the incidence and severity of asthma exacerbations in pediatric patients, compared to ICS alone.

Prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome among patients with inflammatory bowel disease and its impact on nutritional status and clinical manifestations

Background. In recent years, there has been high interest in the prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) syndrome in various populations. Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is known to be a heterogeneous group of disorders, with a high degree of geographical variability in terms of symptoms, nature of progression, clinical manifestations, or combination with other types of pathologies. Since the involvement of the intestinal microbiome plays an important role in the etiopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease, the combination of SIBO and IBD is increasingly being considered and studied recently. Since the symptoms of both pathological conditions are significantly echoed, and therefore exacerbated by the combination, the manifestations of malnutrition become more pronounced, which negatively affects the nutritional status of patients with IBD. The purpose of the study is to determine the frequency of SIBO in patients with IBD depending on the nosological forms and to investigate its effect on clinical and laboratory indicators of nutritional status and clinical manifestations. Materials and methods. We examined 100 patients with IBD, aged 19 to 79 years, on average (42.54 ± 1.50) years, including 70 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 30 — with Crohn’s disease (CD). All patients underwent general clinical examination, anthropometric measurements, general and biochemical blood tests (with the determination of total protein, albumin, prealbumin). To characterize the state of the small intestine microbiota (presence of SIBO), all patients underwent a hydrogen breath test with glucose loading using a Gastro+ Gastrolyzer gas analyzer from Bedfont Scientific Ltd (UK). Results. The analysis of SIBO frequency showed the changes in the state of the small intestinal microflora in 45 % of patients with IBD. The prevalence of SIBO was higher in the group of patients with CD — 53.3 % (16) than in the group with UC — 41.4 % (29). The presence of SIBO in the group of patients with UC had statistical significance and a direct correlation with the duration of the disease — (9.3 ± 6.2) versus (2.9 ± 3.1) years (p = 0.001, r = 0.55). There was a decrease in weight and body mass index (BMI) in patients with SIBO, especially in patients with Crohn’s disease, and accounted for (19.8 ± 3.5) kg/m2. There was a significant difference between the levels of total protein in patients with SIBO and without it, both in the basic group and in the group of UC: (65.8 ± 8.4) vs. (70.2 ± 8.2) g/l (p=0.009, r = –0.232) and (66.5 ± 8.3) vs. (70.7 ± 7.4) g/l (p = 0.029), respectively, and albumin levels were reduced in both nosological groups. No relationship was found between the severity of abdominal pain and the presence of SIBO. When SIBO was detected, the manifestations of flatulence significantly prevailed in patients with UC — 75.8 % (n=22), and diarrheal syndrome in patients with CD — 75 % (n = 12). Conclusions. The obtained results indicate a high prevalence of SIBO in patients with IBD. Patients with CD suffered from SIBO more often (53.3 %) than patients with UC (41.4%) (with a predominance of patients with severe disease). A direct correlation of SIBO with the disease duration in patients with UC (r = 0.55, р &lt; 0.05) was revealed, which is explained by the violation of physiological barriers that prevent the emergence of SIBO, due to more episodes of exacerbation, long-term use of drugs and concomitant pathology with time. The negative impact of SIBO on nutritional status manifested in weight loss, reduced BMI and other anthropometric (mid-upper arm circumference, mid-arm muscle circumference, triceps skinfold) and laboratory (total protein, albumin, prealbumin) parameters in these patients. The most common symptoms in patients with IBD with SIBO were abdominal pain, diarrhea, and flatulence that reflected the typical clinical picture of SIBO.

The role of intestinal protozoa in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease with episodes of exacerbation. Variable factors including infectious pathogen can predispose for this exacerbation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of intestinal protozoa in COPD exacerbation. A total of 56 patients with COPD were included in this study. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the frequency of exacerbation during the last 6 months: those with ≤1 exacerbation (32 patients) and those with ≥2 exacerbations (24 patients). Stool specimens from each patient were collected two times (one week interval) examined for intestinal parasite. In univariate analysis, rural residence and parasitic infection were more common among patients with frequent exacerbation (45.83% and 33.33%, respectively) than patients with non-frequent exacerbation (18.75% and 9.38%, respectively) with significant differences. However, in multivariate analysis, only body mass index >25 kg/m2 (OR=4.59, 95%CI=1.18-17.86, P=0.028) and parasitic infection (OR=5.51, 95%CI=1.01-30.18, P=0.049) were independently associated with COPD exacerbation. These data indicate a significant association between frequent COPD exacerbation and infection with some intestinal protozoa. However, the cause-effect relationship is debatable.

Liver Cirrhosis in Chronic Hepatitis B: is it due to Hepatic Vena Cava Syndrome: case report

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a common chronic viral infection of man. Hepatitis B Virus is not a cytopathic virus. Extensive intrahepatic viral replication is compatible with normally functioning hepatocytes. Patients with CHB in the West manifest as a ‘healthy carrier’, whereas in Asia and Africa some develop liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer. Liver cirrhosis in CHB is assumed to evolve through chronic hepatitis but its pathogenesis and the geographic difference in the outcome of CHB is not explained adequately. Nepal is a country with low prevalence of CHB, where patients with CHB have hepatic vena cava syndrome (HVCS) as a comorbid condition. HVCS is a bacterial infection induced chronic obstructive disease of inferior vena cava at the site of hepatic vein opening. It is clinically characterized by long asymptomatic courses and occasional episodes of acute exacerbation precipitated by bacterial infection that result in hepatic venous outflow obstruction. Increased frequencies of acute exacerbations led to development of hypersplenism, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Long time follow up of patients with CHB in Nepal showed development of cirrhosis in many but it was not related to the severity of viral replication or to the duration of the viral infection. Cirrhosis developed more frequently in patients with hypersplenism and those with severe and recurrent acute exacerbation of HVCS. These observations suggested that the development of cirrhosis in CHB in Afro-Asian countries may be due to the presence of HVCS as a comorbid condition. Reported here are a few cases of CHB that illustrate this point. Pathogenesis of cirrhosis in these patients is discussed.

Exacerbation of Psoriasis Following COVID-19 Vaccination: Report From a Single Center.

The temporal association had been reported between vaccination and exacerbation of psoriasis, and episodes of psoriasis flare-up have recently been attributed to COVID-19 vaccines. We recruited 32 unimmunized controls and 51 vaccinated psoriasis patients, 49 of whom were under biological therapy, with regular clinic visits receiving a total of 63 shots of vaccines, including 30 doses of Moderna mRNA-1273 and 33 doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford AZD1222. Fifteen episodes of exacerbation attacked within 9.3 ± 4.3 days, which is higher than two episodes in the control group (p = 0.047). The mean post-vaccination severity of the worsening episodes increased from PASI 3.1 to 8.0 (p < 0.001). Three patients showed morphologic change from chronic plaque-type to guttate psoriasis. Deterioration of psoriasis following COVID-19 vaccination was not associated with age, sex, disease duration, psoriatic arthritis, family history of psoriasis, history of erythroderma, current biologics use, comorbidities, vaccine types, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-C genotypes, baseline PASI nor pre-vaccination PASI. For those who received two doses of vaccination, all but one patient aggravated after the first shot but not the second. The mechanism of psoriasis exacerbation in immunized individuals is unclear, but Th17 cells induced by COVID-19 vaccines may play a role. In the pandemic era, psoriasis patients and physicians should acknowledge the possibility of fluctuation of disease activity when vaccinated against COVID-19. Nevertheless, compared to a treatable dermatologic disease with rapid resolution of exacerbation, psoriasis patients who do not have contraindications to vaccination should benefit from COVID-19 vaccines in the prevention of severe COVID-19 infection and fatality.

Cognitive Impairment in Acute Heart Failure: Narrative Review.

Cognitive impairment (CI) represents a common but often veiled comorbidity in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) that deserves more clinical attention. In the AHF setting, it manifests as varying degrees of deficits in one or more cognitive domains across a wide spectrum ranging from mild CI to severe global neurocognitive disorder. On the basis of the significant negative implications of CI on quality of life and its overwhelming association with poor outcomes, there is a compelling need for establishment of detailed consensus guidelines on cognitive screening methods to be systematically implemented in the population of patients with heart failure (HF). Since limited attention has been drawn exclusively on the field of CI in AHF thus far, the present narrative review aims to shed further light on the topic. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of CI in AHF remain poorly understood and seem to be multifactorial. Different pathophysiological pathways may come into play, depending on the clinical phenotype of AHF. There is some evidence that cognitive decline closely follows the perturbations incurred across the long-term disease trajectory of HF, both along the time course of stable chronic HF as well as during episodes of HF exacerbation. CI in AHF remains a rather under recognized scientific field that poses many challenges, since there are still many unresolved issues regarding cognitive changes in patients hospitalized with AHF that need to be thoroughly addressed.

Acute asthma

Asthma is a common chronic condition, characterised by episodic acute exacerbations, which may require emergency treatment. According to Asthma UK, nationally 5 400 000 people are being treated for asthma; with life-threatening asthma attacks occurring every 10 seconds and three lives lost daily. In acute asthma, symptoms, including breathlessness, chest tightness, wheeze and cough, deteriorate progressively. Individuals with asthma symptoms often present to primary care and it is important that GPs can recognise and appropriately manage acute asthma. This article reviews the background, recognition and management of acute asthma in adults and children over the age of five, drawing on current guidelines.

Role of Vitamin D in Reducing the Frequency of Asthma Attacks in Patients with Frequent Exacerbation of Asthma

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is common among asthmatics with literature suggesting that its low levels in the body may trigger exacerbations and decrease the response to corticosteroid treatment. It has also shown to inhibit the production of cytokines, which in turn enhances the body’s response to corticosteroid treatment during an exacerbation. Therefore, maintenance of adequate levels of vitamin D in patients with asthma may reduce the risk of exacerbation and improve their general health. This study aims to explore the role of vitamin D supplementation in preventing asthma exacerbations.&#x0D; Methods: This single blind parallel arm interventional study was conducted in the pulmonology ward in a tertiary care hospital from June 2018 to April 2020. Two hundred (n= 200) participants with a history of frequent acute exacerbation of asthma were enrolled in the study via consecutive convenient non-probability technique. Participants were divided into two groups; the placebo and the interventional group that received 200,000 IU of vitamin D capsule.&#x0D; Results: Compared to day 0, mean episodes of exacerbation in the interventional group were significantly lower after 180 days (1.1 ± 0.4 vs. 0.61 ± 0.3; p-value &lt;0.0001). Similarly, number of asthma attacks in past 7 days was significantly lower in intervention group after 180 days (4.4&#x0D; ± 2.7 vs. 3.1 ± 1.5; p-value 0.0001)&#x0D; Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation is a safe and cost-friendly approach to reducing asthma exacerbations. It may also help to improve the condition in severe asthmatics with low vitamin D levels.