Hand grip strength is associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second among subjects with COPD: report from a population-based cohort study

Viktor Johansson Strandkvist,1,2 Helena Backman,2 Jenny Röding,1 Caroline Stridsman,3 Anne Lindberg4 1Division of Health and Rehabilitation, Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, 2Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, The Obstructive Lung disease in Northern Sweden Unit, Umeå University, Umeå, 3Division of Nursing, Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, 4Division of Medicine, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden Background: Cardiovascular diseases and skeletal muscle dysfunction are common comorbidities in COPD. Hand grip strength (HGS) is related to general muscle strength and is associated with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, while the results from small selected COPD populations are contradictory. The aim of this population-based study was to compare HGS among the subjects with and without COPD, to evaluate HGS in relation to COPD severity, and to evaluate the impact of heart disease.Subjects and methods: Data were collected from the Obstructive Lung disease in Northern Sweden COPD study, where the subjects with and without COPD have been invited to annual examinations since 2005. In 2009–2010, 441 subjects with COPD (postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]/ vital capacity <0.70) and 570 without COPD participated in structured interviews, spirometry, and measurements of HGS.Results: The mean HGS was similar when comparing subjects with and without COPD, but those with heart disease had lower HGS than those without. When compared by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grades, the subjects with GOLD 3–4 had lower HGS than those without COPD in both sexes (females 21.4 kg vs 26.9 kg, P=0.010; males 41.5 kg vs 46.3 kg, P=0.038), and the difference persisted also when adjusted for confounders. Among the subjects with COPD, HGS was associated with FEV1% of predicted value but not heart disease when adjusted for height, age, sex, and smoking habits, and the pattern was similar among males and females.Conclusion: In this population-based study, the subjects with GOLD 3–4 had lower HGS than the subjects without COPD. Among those with COPD, HGS was associated with FEV1% of predicted value but not heart disease, and the pattern was similar in both sexes. Keywords: muscle strength, muscle strength dynamometer, pulmonary disease, COPD, heart diseases, epidemiolog

The Swedish National Airway Register (SNAR) : development, design and utility to date

Background: The Swedish National Airway Register (SNAR) was initiated in 2013 to ensure and improve the quality of care for patients with asthma and COPD. Aim: To describe the development and design of SNAR, and to study the 2019 data to evaluate its potential utility related to improvement of quality of care. Methods: SNAR includes data from patients with asthma (both children and adults) and COPD from primary, secondary and tertiary care, and also, for COPD inpatient care. Data on diagnostic investigations (e.g. spirometry, blood sample, skin prick test), symptom-scores, comorbidities and prescribed treatments are registered. The registrations are entered manually by healthcare professionals, or directly transferred from electronic medical records to a web-based platform. Results: In 2019, 1000 clinics participated and data were directly transferred by about 88% of them. The register included data on 205,833 patients with asthma and 80,372 with COPD (of these, 5% had both diagnoses). Registrations of new patients and follow-up visits from primary and secondary/tertiary care in 2019 were completed for 75,707 patients with asthma (11,818 children <12 yr, 6545 adolescents 12–17 yr, and 57,344 adults >17 yr) and 38,117 with COPD. Depending on age and disease group, 43–77% had performed spirometry, 36–65% Asthma Control Test, and 60% COPD Assessment Test. The prevalence of current smoking was about 2% in adolescents, 10% in adults with asthma, and 34% in COPD. For these, smoking cessation support was offered to 27%, 38% and 51%, respectively. Overall, limited data were available on investigation of allergy, 6-min walk test, patient education and written treatment plans. Regarding asthma, sex-differences in disease management were evident. Conclusion: SNAR has cumulatively registered data from over 270,000 individuals, and the register is important for patients, caregivers, authorities, politicians and researchers to evaluate the effect of treatment and to ensure high and equal quality of care nationwide

Targeted high-throughput sequencing of candidate genes for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Reduced lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is likely due to both environmental and genetic factors. We report here a targeted high-throughput DNA sequencing approach to identify new and previously known genetic variants in a set of candidate genes for COPD. Methods: Exons in 22 genes implicated in lung development as well as 61 genes and 10 genomic regions previously associated with COPD were sequenced using individual DNA samples from 68 cases with moderate or severe COPD and 66 controls matched for age, gender and smoking. Cases and controls were selected from the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) studies. Results: In total, 37 genetic variants showed association with COPD (p < 0.05, uncorrected). Several variants previously discovered to be associated with COPD from genetic genome-wide analysis studies were replicated using our sample. Two high-risk variants were followed-up for functional characterization in a large eQTL mapping study of 1,111 human lung specimens. The C allele of a synonymous variant, rs8040868, predicting a p.(S45=) in the gene for cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 3 (CHRNA3) was associated with COPD (p = 8.8 x 10−3). This association remained (p = 0.003 and OR = 1.4, 95 % CI 1.1-1.7) when analysing all available cases and controls in OLIN (n = 1,534). The rs8040868 variant is in linkage disequilibrium with rs16969968 previously associated with COPD and altered expression of the CHRNA5 gene. A follow-up analysis for detection of expression quantitative trait loci revealed that rs8040868-C was found to be significantly associated with a decreased expression of the nearby gene cholinergic receptor, nicotinic, alpha 5 (CHRNA5) in lung tissue. Conclusion: Our data replicate previous result suggesting CHRNA5 as a candidate gene for COPD and rs8040868 as a risk variant for the development of COPD in the Swedish population.Other UBCNon UBCReviewedFacult