US Respiratory & Pulmonary Diseases – VOLUME 2 – ISSUE 1 – WINTER 2017

  Welcome to the latest edition of US Respiratory & Pulmonary Diseases. Despite a wealth of advances in the field of respiratory care, respiratory disease remains a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The articles and expert opinions in this journal reflect the progress and challenges in this active area of clinical research. Our […]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. COPD frequently coexists with other age-related co-morbidities,1 and is now known to be a disease of accelerated aging.2 The length of telomeres, which become progressively shorter as cells divide, has been proposed as a biomarker of aging.3 Shorter telomere […]

Pulmonary infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are increasing in prevalence, and impose a significant health and economic burden. There are around 150 species of NTM, which are ubiquitous in the environment, and infections are transmitted by environmental spread, particularly from soil and water.1 In an expert interview, Dr Ali discusses risk factors for and […]

  My experience in the care of ventilator-dependent children involves over 20 years’ experience in both the home and long-term care environments. I have managed over 50 ventilator-dependent children in a university-based practice and have weaned at least two children per year completely off mechanical ventilation. In addition, I have helped in the development of […]

With each passing month, the volume of medical data and information seems to grow exponentially. Even with the most finely tuned and calibrated Twitter feeds, relevant journal feeds, emails and bookmarked web pages, the amount of data presented can place physicians in a situation of “data fatigue” or sheer desperation. Medical knowledge and associated databases […]

Underdiagnosis of asthma is an important issue for public health and also at individual level for asthma patients. The 2017 Global Initiative for Asthma used epidemiological surveys to compare the prevalence of asthma symptoms to doctor-diagnosed asthma in low and middle-income countries, revealing that 50% of asthma cases were underdiagnosed, especially in primary care facilities.1 […]

  Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) has been considered a global threat and has been designated as an epidemic by public health officials. WTS is also known as “narghileh” or “narghile”, “shisha” or “hookah”. WTS involves the passage of charcoal-heated air through a perforated aluminum foil and across the tobacco mixture to become smoke that bubbles […]

  Highlights Neuromuscular diseases exhibit a complex array of respiratory physiologic changes that typically progress over time. These physiologic changes can promote significant respiratory abnormalities during sleep, leading to decreased quality of life, significant daytime symptoms, and overall worse survival. There should be a high index of suspicion for the emergence of sleep-related disorders, especially […]

  Highlights Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), though rare, can be fatal and requires a high index of suspicion as frank hemoptysis may not be a presenting symptom. Multilobar pneumonia can simulate DAH both clinically and radiographically. Diagnosis relies on a strong clinical suspicion, laboratory studies, imaging, and pathology. Overall incidence of DAH is difficult to […]