Active clinical trials for "Lung Diseases"

The purpose of this study is the psychometric validation of a self-administered dyspnea questionnaire, usable in clinical practice in order to assess dyspnea and its impact on patients with chronic respiratory diseases.

The investigator will determine a compliance of two diagnostic techniques (EIT and Body plethysmography) in collective of children and teenagers with obstructive lung disease and a matched control group.

The overall hypotheses of this proposal are that discrete phenotypes of HIV Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) differ in their trajectories, biomarkers, and risk factors and that persistent viral infection including residual HIV is linked to HIV COPD.

Patients with Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) often develop muscle problems, particularly in their legs which makes them more limited in what they can do. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is a simple test of standing balance, usual walking speed and ability to stand from a chair. The SPPB may be a useful measure to predict leg function. This study aims to evaluate whether the SPPB is comparable with current exercise tests used in COPD patients, and whether it is useful in predicting disability, death and health resource usage over time.

Many studies have evaluated the viability of measuring the pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) by non-invasive methods in patients with pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary thromboembolism, ischemic cardiopathy and valvular disease. The investigators have not found other studies which evaluate the PVR in elderly patients with COPD. The hypothesis is that in patients with COPD, the severity of obstruction, expressed by GOLD class, is associated with an increase of PVR.

The objectives were to collect information on vital status and pulmonary medication use at the predicted exit date for patients who participated in two one-year trials and withdrew prematurely. The primary objective was to ascertain the vital status (dead or alive) of these patients in the time interval between the patients' withdrawal from the trial and their predicted exit date (i.e: 48 weeks from first intake of randomised treatment + 30 days). The secondary objective was to collect information on classes of pulmonary medication and some other specified pulmonary interventions used by these prematurely discontinued patients at the time of their predicted exit date (i.e 48 weeks from the first intake of randomised treatment + 30 days) or at date of death (if this occurred during the time interval of interest, i.e 48 weeks from the first intake of randomised treatment + 30 days).

Reports suggest that the Medicaid population includes a higher percentage of smokers than the general population. A high prevalence of smokers in a population is likely to lead to a higher burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Few studies have evaluated the economic burden of COPD in a Medicaid population. The objective of this observational, retrospective cohort study is to estimate the economic burden of COPD in subjects with a COPD diagnosis who are enrolled in Medicaid and are receiving maintenance treatment covered by Medicaid. Specifically, the null hypothesis for the primary outcome measure is that no difference is observed in all-cause costs between subjects with and without COPD. The test hypothesis is that there is a difference in all-cause costs between subjects with and without COPD. Secondary outcomes to be evaluated include all-cause resource use and COPD-related costs for the COPD cohort. The study uses a medical and pharmacy administrative claims database called MarketScan Medicaid Database that contains the medical, surgical, and prescription drug experience of nearly 7 million Medicaid recipients. This analysis will use data from 8 states.

To implement a new method of performing chest CT imaging in young children at Packard Children's Hospital entitled controlled ventilation infant/young child chest CT scanning. This technique will be used to evaluate early lung disease comparing quantitative chest CT air trapping and airway measurements with lung function measurements in infants, toddlers, and young children with chronic lung disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory disease with high prevalence worldwide and with relevant impact on patient-related quality of life, morbidity and mortality. There is evidence that airway inflammation correlates with the severity of the disease and that airway inflammation is further enhanced during exacerbation. However, it is unknown whether daily fluctuation of symptoms or changes in lung function is paralleled by changes in airway inflammation.

The investigators have taken part in the development of simple muscle function tests and studied physical training and energy turnover in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. The investigators have found that muscle wasting in COPD is related to poor prognosis and that physical training might lead to improved, less energy-demanding muscle function. Elderly subjects also suffer from muscle wasting that leads to frailty, poor autonomy and, secondarily, fractures. In the planned study the investigators will validate simple muscle function tests (hand grip strength, heel rise test, voluntary quadriceps muscle strength, 30 m walking test and balance tests) in both groups by relating them to an involuntary, magnet stimulated, test of quadriceps force, HRQL, tests of body composition (impedance, DXA) and recordings of physical activity. The relation between food intake, systemic inflammation, muscle mass and function will be analysed. The study has been ethically approved and started in COPD patients and will be expanded to a representative sample of elderly. Simple, evaluated muscle function tests applied in primary care may be used for early detection of muscle dysfunction in COPD patients and elderly so that early intervention against impaired muscle function can be started. Analyses of food intake and of inflammatory markers might identify factors of special importance for muscle dysfunction, which eventually might lead to improved dietary therapy and pharmacological interventions.