Non-communicable Lung Disease in Sub Saharan Africa: a Community-based Cross-sectional Study of Adults in Urban Malawi

Rationale Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are major causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Valid burden of disease estimates are lacking for non-communicable lung disease in sSA. Objectives We performed a community-based survey to determine the prevalence of chronic lung disease amongst adults ≥18 years in Malawi, using ATS standard spirometry, internationally validated respiratory symptom and exposure questionnaires, and including assessment of HIV-status. Methods An age and gender stratified random sample of 2000 adults was taken from the population of Chilomoni district of Blantyre, Malawi. Fieldworkers collected questionnaire data, conducted HIV-testing and performed pre/post bronchodilator spirometry on eligible participants. Survey-weighted population prevalence estimates of respiratory symptoms and spirometric abnormalities were computed, and bivariate and multivariable regression were used to identify associated variables. Results Questionnaire data, HIV status and BOLD standard spirometry were obtained from 1059, 937 and 749 participants respectively. Current respiratory symptoms, exposure to biomass and ever smoking were reported by 11.8%, 85.2% and 10.4% respectively. HIV prevalence was 24.2%. Moderate-severe airway obstruction was seen in 3.6%. The prevalence of spirometric restriction was 38.6% using NHANES reference ranges and 9.0% using local reference ranges. Age was positively associated with obstruction while low BMI was associated with restriction. Conclusions Over 40% of the Malawian adults in our urban population-representative sample had abnormal lung function (mostly restrictive) in the context of widespread exposure to biomass smoke and high HIV prevalence. These findings have potentially major pubic health implications for Malawi and the broader sSA region

Safety of fluticasone propionate prescribed for asthma during pregnancy: A UK population-based cohort study

Background: Asthma is commonly treated during pregnancy, yet data on the safety of asthma medicines used during pregnancy are sparse. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) fluticasone propionate (FP), alone and in fixed-dose combination with salmeterol (FSC) in terms of the risk of all major congenital malformations (MCMs), compared with all other non-FP ICS. Methods: Women with asthma who had a pregnancy between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2010, were identified in the United Kingdom's Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Exposure to asthma medicines during the first trimester of pregnancy was based on issued prescriptions. The mothers' and infants' medical records were linked where possible, and pregnancy outcomes with an MCM diagnosed by age 1 year were identified based on medical codes in the mother's and infant's medical records, including those MCMs prenatally diagnosed that ended in an induced pregnancy termination. The absolute and relative risks of an MCM after different ICS exposures, stratified by the asthma treatment intensity level, were calculated. Results: A total of 14,654 mother-infant pairs were identified, of which 6,174 received an ICS prescription during the first trimester, in addition to 13 first trimester ICS exposed pregnancies that ended in an induced termination after a prenatal MCM diagnosis. In total, 5,362 pregnancies were eligible for the primary analysis at age 1 year. The absolute risk of an MCM after any first trimester FP exposure was 2.4% (CI95 0.8-4.1) and2.7% (CI95 1.8-3.6) for the "moderate" and "considerable/severe" asthma treatment intensity levels, respectively. The adjusted odds ratios when compared with non-FP ICS were 1.1 (CI95 0.5-2.3) and 1.2 (CI95 0.7-2.0) for the "moderate" and "considerable/severe" intensity levels; risks for any FP and for FSC did not differ substantially. Conclusion: No increase in the overall risk of MCMs was identified after first trimester FP exposure compared with non-FP ICS. © 2015 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Recording of hospitalizations for acute exacerbations of COPD in UK electronic health care records.

BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of hospitalizations for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) within electronic health care records is important for research, public health, and to inform health care utilization and service provision. We aimed to develop a strategy to identify hospitalizations for AECOPD in secondary care data and to investigate the validity of strategies to identify hospitalizations for AECOPD in primary care data. METHODS: We identified patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) with linked Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data. We used discharge summaries for recent hospitalizations for AECOPD to develop a strategy to identify the recording of hospitalizations for AECOPD in HES. We then used the HES strategy as a reference standard to investigate the positive predictive value (PPV) and sensitivity of strategies for identifying AECOPD using general practice CPRD data. We tested two strategies: 1) codes for hospitalization for AECOPD and 2) a code for AECOPD other than hospitalization on the same day as a code for hospitalization due to unspecified reason. RESULTS: In total, 27,182 patients with COPD were included. Our strategy to identify hospitalizations for AECOPD in HES had a sensitivity of 87.5%. When compared with HES, using a code suggesting hospitalization for AECOPD in CPRD resulted in a PPV of 50.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 48.5%-51.8%) and a sensitivity of 4.1% (95% CI 3.9%-4.3%). Using a code for AECOPD and a code for hospitalization due to unspecified reason resulted in a PPV of 43.3% (95% CI 42.3%-44.2%) and a sensitivity of 5.4% (95% CI 5.1%-5.7%). CONCLUSION: Hospitalization for AECOPD can be identified with high sensitivity in the HES database. The PPV and sensitivity of strategies to identify hospitalizations for AECOPD in primary care data alone are very poor. Primary care data alone should not be used to identify hospitalizations for AECOPD. Instead, researchers should use data that are linked to data from secondary care

Lung function decline and outcomes in an adult population

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To determine risk factors for and outcomes of rapid lung function decline in a cohort of adults in the United States. Methods: We analyzed data from 15,536 adults aged 44–66 yr in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. We used Cox proportional hazard models to determine the risk of rapid lung function decline at 3 yr on mortality and COPD hospitalizations over the subsequent 8 yr. Measurements and Main Results: Of those in the baseline cohort, 13,756 (88.5%) had spirometry at the Year 3 visit. The strongest risk factors for not having a follow-up spirometry were as follows: having Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage 3 or 4 disease at baseline (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1–3.8), being black (adjusted OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 2.1–2.7), and being a current smoker (adjusted OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.5–2.0). Participants with GOLD stage 3 or 4 disease were also more likely to be in the most rapidly declining lung function quartile (adjusted OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 2.7–5.0). Overall, participants with the most rapidly declining lung function had a modestly increased risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2–1.7) and time to a COPD-related hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2–1.8). Conclusion: Rapid lung function decline was independently associated with a modest increased risk of COPD hospitalizations and deaths

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Hospitalizations for Pneumonia in a US Cohort

Objective To better understand risk factors for pneumonia hospitalizations in people with impaired lung function. Methods We analyzed longitudinal data from participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC) and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). We limited our analysis to 20,375 participants aged 45 and older at baseline. We stratified the sample based on prebronchodilator baseline lung function data, according to modified GOLD criteria, including a “restrictive” category (FEV1/FVC \u3e 70% and FVC \u3c 80%). We defined “pneumonia” as a hospitalization with a pneumonia discharge diagnosis (ICD-9 codes 480–486) within 36 months. We used Cox proportional hazard models to determine pneumonia risk associated with COPD stage, adjusting for age, sex, race, smoking status and comorbid disease (diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular disease at the baseline examination). Results Pneumonia hospitalization risk was associated with older age, male gender, comorbid conditions, smoking status, and level of lung function impairment. Overall, people with normal lung function had the lowest pneumonia hospitalization rate (1.5 per 1000 person-years) and those with GOLD stage 3 or 4 COPD had the highest rate (22.7 per 1000 person-years). After adjusting for other potential confounding factors, GOLD stages 3 or 4 and 2 COPD were associated with an increased risk of pneumonia (hazard ratio [HR] 5.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.29, 9.67 and 2.25 (1.35, 3.75), respectively) relative to normal lung function. Conclusion COPD severity (GOLD stage) is an important and independent predictor of pneumonia hospitalizations in this cohort

Inhaled corticosteroids and risk of lung cancer among COPD patients who quit smoking.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: COPD is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. We examined whether inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) used concomitantly with long-acting beta(2)-agonists (LABA) were associated with reduction in lung cancer risk in COPD patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with a first-time diagnosis of COPD (index date) between 1989 and 2003 who were initially free of lung cancer, had quit smoking, were aged >or=50 years at time of diagnosis, and were regular users of ICS, ICS/LABA concomitantly, or short-acting bronchodilators (SABD). A nested case-control design was applied to overcome the time-varying nature of treatment. RESULTS: We identified 7079 COPD patients who were regular users of the therapies of interest, of whom 127 subsequently had lung cancer and were matched to 1470 controls of same gender and age. Lung cancer was diagnosed in 6.0\% of concomitant ICS/LABA users compared with 7.3\% of ICS and 10.9\% of SABD users. In multivariate analyses, reductions in lung cancer risk were observed, with hazard ratio (HR) 0.50 (95\% confidence interval, 0.27-0.90) in ICS/LABA users and 0.64 (0.42-0.98) in ICS users, compared with SABD users. In assessing 'dose-response' relationships, we found risk reductions: HR of 0.75 (0.33-1.75) and 0.39 (0.19-0.79) in ICS/LABA users with 1-2 and 3+ prescriptions/year, respectively, and 0.88 (0.51-1.52) and 0.51 (0.30-0.84) in ICS users with 1-2 and 3+ prescriptions/year, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Regular use of ICS, with and without LABA, may reduce the risk of lung cancer among former smokers with diagnosed COPD