A new study has found that a common e-cigarette flavoring that has chemical characteristics similar to toxic chemicals found in cigarette smoke disrupts an important mechanism of the lungs’ antibacterial defense system.
Read the geeky stuff here.
COPD
Drink More Green Tea
Conclusion
This study suggests that the consumption of green tea ≥2 times/d is associated with a reduced risk of COPD in Korean populations.
Consuming Green Tea at Least Twice Each Day Is Associated with Reduced Odds of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease in Middle-Aged and Older Korean Adults
Drink more green tea.
Especially if you’re an older Korean.
Asthma Mortality Among Persons Aged 15–64 Years, by Industry and Occupation — United States, 1999–2016
The annual number of asthma deaths among persons aged 15–64 years has declined significantly from 1999 through 2016, most likely reflecting improvements in asthma management and effectiveness of prevention efforts
CDC source article here.
Biomarkers Help Predict COPD Prognosis
This study found that in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD a panel of biomarkers can improve mortality predictions beyond that of clinical factors.
via Medical News:%20Biomarkers Help Predict COPD Prognosis – in Pulmonology, COPD from MedPage Today.
Inhaled Steroids Lower Pneumonia Mortality in COPD Patients
Of 15,768 eligible patients with COPD who were hospitalized for pneumonia, 8271 had prior ICS use and 7497 had no ICS use. Compared with patients with no prior ICS use, those with prior ICS use had a lower 90-day mortality rate 17.3% vs 22.8%; P < .001.
via Inhaled Steroids Lower Pneumonia Mortality in COPD Patients.
RA + Interstitial Lung Disease = High Mortality Risk
Medical News: High Mortality with Lung Disease in RA – in Rheumatology, Arthritis from MedPage Today
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who develop interstitial lung disease face a very high mortality risk, a population-based study found.
The risk of death for RA patients who develop interstitial lung disease was nearly triple compared with patients without pulmonary involvement (HR 2.86, 95% CI 1.98 to 4.12), according to Tim Bongartz, MD, and colleagues from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
And median survival of RA patients after a diagnosis of interstitial lung disease was only 2.6 years, considerably lower than the expected survival of 9.9 years for RA patients of the same age and sex without lung disease (P<0.001), the researchers reported in the June issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Define “Celebratory” Please
“Celebratory” of course refers to the practice of some insurance company underwriting departments to allow non-tobacco rates for applicants with occasional use of cigars and pipes.
Cigars, Pipes No ‘Healthy’ Alternative to Cigarettes – BusinessWeek
The study results show clearly that cigar and pipe smokers are exposed to toxins and run the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive destruction of airways than can be crippling. Emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis are the two major forms of COPD, which is a leading cause of death among U.S. adults.
Depression and COPD – Bad Combo
Watch, Listen and Learn – Do COPD Meds Really Raise CV Risk?
The numbers in the study are small. Hence, this is a non-issue for underwriting purposes.
lifeunderwriter.net 