Phone support boost to COPD patients (IAustralia)

Researchers from Australia have found that even brief phone contact from medical professionals can provide benefits to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). But a structured telephone-delivered mentoring program over 12 months provided additional advantages with regard to self-management capacity and disease knowledge. The team randomly assigned 31 general practices in Tasmania to intervention or control, with 74 and 80 COPD patients subsequently assigned to the respective groups completing the study. Patients in the intervention group received a median of 9.5 30-minute telephone calls from community nurses trained as health mentors. They provided cognitive behavioral-based support, including psychoeducation, self-management skills, cognitive coping skills training, communication skills, and self-efficacy promotion. Meanwhile patients in the control group received usual care as well as a median of nine phone calls, lasting on average 1 minute, from a research nurse. Reporting in BMJ Open, the team found that patients in the mentored group experienced significantly greater improvements in chronic disease self-management scores, according to the Partners in Health scale

Drug market for COPD will increase from $8.3 billion in 2010 to more than $13.4 billion in 2020

Decision Resources, a research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, owing to an expanding aging population, increases in drug treatment and the uptake of premium priced combinations, the drug market for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will increase from approximately $8.3 billion in 2010 to more than $13.4 billion in 2020 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan. The Pharmacor advisory service entitled Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, forecasts that the COPD drug-treated population will expand from approximately 19 million patients in 2010 to nearly 25 million patients in 2020 in the world's major pharmaceutical markets. Uptake of novel long-acting beta2 agonist/long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LABA/LAMA) fixed-dose combinations, including Boehringer Ingelheim’s olodaterol/tiotropium, will also drive market growth, given that they will likely be more expensive than single-agent bronchodilators

Health care by TV and remote control (UK)

First thing in the morning, Terry Munro always puts the kettle on. "Then I take my blood sugar, take my blood pressure and my weight and in that time the kettle's boiled. "And I've got a record of it on my TV. It's marvellous, it really is." Terry, who is 67 years old and has diabetes, has been keeping tabs on his own health using nothing more than his television. The testing equipment uses Bluetooth so when Terry has taken his daily measurements they are automatically uploaded to the TV. A trained nurse can access and monitor the readings from a central location and make decisions about potential changes in treatments. "I like walking, but I used to go out and go hypo. Now I know I can't go out if my blood sugar is too low, so I am more aware now. "It's like having a doctor there all the time."

Study will look for heart and lung disease links in patients (Wales)

"A pioneering research study will investigate the link between chronic lung conditions and life-threatening heart disease. The first research study of its kind aims to recruit and follow 500 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from across Wales. The researchers hope to emulate the long-running Caerphilly study, which has followed about 3,000 men in South Wales for more than 30 years and increased the world's understanding about the lifestyle factors associated with heart disease. It is hoped the new research study - called Arcade - will establish whether there is a link between COPD and cardiovascular disease and it could lead to new, targeted therapies, which treat the lung disease and reduce the risk of heart problems"

World COPD Day 2010

World COPD Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) to improve awareness and care of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) around the world. World COPD Day 2010 will take place on November 17 around the theme "2010 - The Year of the Lung: Measure your lung health - Ask your doctor about a simple breathing test called spirometry"

COPD, even when mild, limits heart function (USA)

"A common lung condition, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) diminishes the heart's ability to pump effectively even when the disease has no or mild symptoms, according to research published in the Jan. 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study is the first time researchers have shown strong links between heart function and mild COPD. The research was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers have long known that severe cases of COPD have harmful effects on the heart, decreasing its ability to pump blood effectively. The new results suggest that these changes in the heart occur much earlier than previously believed, in mild cases and even before symptoms appear. One in five Americans over the age of 45 has COPD, but as many as half of them may not even be aware of it" - EurekAlert

Saskatchewan Chronic Disease Management Collaborative II (Canada)

"Saskatchewan residents with depression and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will soon be receiving better care as a result of a major learning program aimed at doctors and other health providers. The 18-month initiative, called the Saskatchewan Chronic Disease Management Collaborative II, will give health care professionals strategies for applying the best available medical evidence when treating these two chronic conditions. Participants will also learn how to redesign their scheduling systems to make it easier for patients to get appointments. Fifty-four primary care practices - involving 47 family doctors and 170 other care providers - are participating in the initiative, which is being led by the province's Health Quality Council"

International Journal of COPD

International Journal of COPD - an international, peer-reviewed journal of therapeutics and pharmacology focusing on concise rapid reporting of clinical studies and reviews in COPD. Special focus will be given to the pathophysiological processes underlying the disease, intervention programs, patient focused education, and self management protocols. This journal is directed at specialists and healthcare professionals - DovePress