• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.410-422
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between knowledge related to disease(KRD), illness attitude, and quality of life(QOL) in relation to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD). According to the study result, there were significant differences with regard to KRD in accordance with subjects' education, monthly income, mMRC(modified Medical Research Council) Dyspnea Scale, inhaled bronchodilator and antibiotic treatment. In addition, there were significant differences with respect to illness attitude according to monthly income and mMRC. In case of the QOL, there were significant differences in accordance with age, marital status, monthly income, inpatient status, history of hospital admission, oxygen use, comorbidity, mMRC, and inhaled steroid. It has shown that there was a significant correlation between KRD and QOL(r=-.438, p<.001), illness attitude and QOL(r=.279, p=.001). Thus, it is important to grasp monthly income and mMRC, which are correlated with the three elements in common. As per assessment about COPD patients in the clinical situation, it is necessary to develop a multi-disciplinary approach, health coaching program for improving KRD and having a positive attitude based on the low-income group with taking interest in the circumstances of mMRC as well as objective test results.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2010

Background: Data comparing the clinical characteristics and outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP-COPD) and acute exacerbation (AECOPD) are very limited. Methods: Eighty episodes of hospitalization in 65 CAP-COPD patients, and 111 episodes of hospitalization in 82 AE-COPD patients were included in this study. The baseline characteristics, clinical presentations, potential bacterial pathogens and clinical outcomes in these patients were retrospectively reviewed and compared. Results: No significant differences were found between the two groups in parameters related to COPD and co-morbidities, except a higher rate of male among CAP-COPD patients. Clinical presentations by symptoms and laboratory findings on admission were significantly more severe in CAP-COPD patients, who showed higher rates of fever and crepitation, but less wheezing than AE-COPD patients. S. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosae were the most common bacterial pathogens in both groups. With no difference in the overall hospital mortality between both groups, the mean length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the CAP-COPD patients than in AE-COPD patients (15.3 vs. 9.8 days, respectively, p<0.01). Additional analysis on CAP-COPD patients showed that systemic steroid use did not influence the length of hospital stay. Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference in bacterial pathogens and overall hospital mortality between the two groups, CAP-COPD patients had more severe clinical symptoms and laboratory findings at presentation, and longer hospital stay than AE-COPD patients.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.641-649
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• 2011

This study was purposed to evaluate the effects of root of Liriope spicata (RLS) on LPS-induced COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) model. The extract of RLS was treated to A549 cells and LPS-induced COPD mice model. Then, various parameters such as cell-based cyto-protective activity and histopathological finding were analyzed. RLS showed a protective effect on LPS-induced cytotoxicity in A549 cells. This effect was correlated with analysis for caspase 3 levels, protein level of cyclin B1, Cdc2, and phospho-Erk1/2, and gene expression of TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-$1{\beta}$ in A549 cells. RLS treatment also revealed the protective effect on LPS-induced lung injury in COPD mice model. This effect was evidenced via histopathological finding including immunofluence stains against caspase 3, and protein level of cyclin B1, Cdc2, and Erk1/2 in lung tissue. These data suggest that RLS has a pharmaceutical properties on lung injury. This study would provide an scientific evidence for the efficacy of RLS for clinical application to patients with COPD.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.456-477
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• 2024

Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) both require long-term management, and patients with asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) need comprehensive and prolonged care beyond pharmacotherapy. However, due to limited research on ACO, treatment strategies and long-term outcomes remain unclear. This highlights the need for further multidisciplinary research to improve ACO treatment and prognosis. Case Presentation: This case report describes a patient who presented with symptoms of cough, sputum, wheezing, dyspnea, and oral dryness. The patient was diagnosed with ACO and received a combination of Korean medicine treatments alongside standard asthma medication for 15 days. Standardized tools were used to evaluate symptoms and quality of life, respectively. After treatment, Medical Research Council scale, Leicester cough questionnaire Korean-Version and Numerical Rating Score demonstrated clinically meaningful improvement, and Total IgE and Eosinophils were slightly decreased. Conclusion: This case suggests Korean medicine treatments might be effective in managing symptoms in patients with ACO and enhancing quality of life.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.191-197
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• 2008

Background: Due to the irreversible nature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the treatment aim in patients with COPD is not to cure but to reduce the symptoms, increase lung function, and improve the quality of life. It has been suggested that depression is a common emotional disturbance in patients with COPD who are faced with a major physical impairment and embarrassing symptoms. This study evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of depression in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods: A total of 59 patients with a registered diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were selected. Depression was assessed using the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. The quality of life was assessed using the Korean version of the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of depression was 17.0%. In the correlation model, the interaction of the $FEV_1%$ over predicted value and SGRQ score(symptom, activity, impact, overall score) was statistically significant. The interaction of the $FEV_1%$ over predicted value and depression scale(CES-D) was also statistically significant. There was a positive correlation between the SGRQ scores(symptom, activity, impact, overall score) and the depression scale. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is relatively high. The pulmonary function and the living standards were found to be significant risk factors for depression.

• Experimental and Molecular Medicine
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• v.50 no.11
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• pp.9.1-9.10
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• 2018

Although the positive effects of recombinant fibroblast growth factor-2 (rFGF-2) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been implicated in previous studies, knowledge of its role in COPD remains limited. The mechanism of FGF2 in a COPD mouse model and the therapeutic potential of rFGF-2 were investigated in COPD. The mechanism and protective effects of rFGF-2 were evaluated in cigarette smoke-exposed or elastase-induced COPD animal models. Inflammation was assessed in alveolar cells and lung tissues from mice. FGF-2 was decreased in the lungs of cigarette smoke-exposed mice. Intranasal use of rFGF-2 significantly reduced macrophage-dominant inflammation and alveolar destruction in the lungs. In the elastase-induced emphysema model, rFGF-2 improved regeneration of the lungs. In humans, plasma FGF-2 was decreased significantly in COPD compared with normal subjects (10 subjects, P = 0.037). The safety and efficacy of inhaled rFGF-2 use was examined in COPD patients, along with changes in respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function. A 2-week treatment with inhaled rFGF-2 in COPD (n = 6) resulted in significantly improved respiratory symptoms compared with baseline levels (P < 0.05); however, the results were not significant compared with the placebo. The pulmonary function test results of COPD improved numerically compared with those in the placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant. No serious adverse events occurred during treatment with inhaled rFGF-2. The loss of FGF-2 production is an important mechanism in the development of COPD. Inhaling rFGF-2 may be a new therapeutic option for patients with COPD because rFGF-2 decreases inflammation in lungs exposed to cigarette smoke.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.4
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• pp.321-325
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• 2015

Background: The adverse effects of the phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor roflumilast, appear to be more frequent in clinical practice than what was observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinical trials. Thus, we designed this study to determine whether adverse effects could be reduced by starting roflumilast at half the dose, and then increasing a few weeks later to $500{\mu}g$ daily. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 85 patients with COPD who had taken either $500{\mu}g$ roflumilast, or a starting dose of $250{\mu}g$ and then increased to $500{\mu}g$. We analyzed all adverse events and assessed differences between patients who continued taking the drug after dose escalation and those who had stopped. Results: Adverse events were reported by 22 of the 85 patients (25.9%). The most common adverse event was diarrhea (10.6%). Of the 52 patients who had increased from a starting dose of $250{\mu}g$ roflumilast to $500{\mu}g$, 43 (82.7%) successfully maintained the $500{\mu}g$ roflumilast dose. No difference in factors likely to affect the risk of adverse effects, was detected between the dose-escalated and the discontinued groups. Of the 26 patients who started with the $500{\mu}g$ roflumilast regimen, seven (26.9%) discontinued because of adverse effects. There was no statistically significant difference in discontinuation rate between the dose-escalated and the control groups (p=0.22). Conclusion: Escalating the roflumilast dose may reduce treatment-related adverse effects and improve tolerance to the full dose. This study suggests that the dose-escalated regimen reduced the rate of discontinuation. However, longer-term and larger-scale studies are needed to support the full benefit of a dose escalation strategy.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.262-268
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to measure fatigue as an objective index, depression and health-related quality of life of patients with COPD in daily life, to understand the correlation between them, and to present reasons for using the results clinically. Methods: This study is intended to evaluate and compare depression, the health-related quality of life of each group after measuring lactic acid levels of 39 male patients with COPD, and dividing those with measurement values than the normal value into the experimental group, and those with normal values into the control group. Results: When comparing depression between the experimental group and the control group, it was measured at 10.38 in the experimental group, and at 7.00 in the control group (p<0.05). Health-related quality of life between the experimental group and the control group was measured at 51.8 in the experimental group, and at 48.67 in the control group (p>0.05). Conclusion: According to the results described above, it appears that patients with COPD have adapted to their disease in some degree for a long period of time, and they are physically and psychologically adjusting to the fatigue they experience, in their own ways of adapting. These results imply that improving physical activity is associated with relief of fatigue and improvement of the quality of life. Thus, there is a need for developing and researching an exercise program and a physical therapy intervention for enhancement of physical activity.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.219-222
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• 2013

The exhaled breath contains gases generated from human body. When disease occurs in the body, exhaled breath may include gas components released from disease metabolism. If we can find specific elements through analysis of the exhaled gases, this approach is an effective way to diagnose the disease. The lung function has a close relationship with exhalation. Exhaled gases from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients can be analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and a gas sensor system. The exhaled breath for healthy person and COPD patients had different components. Significantly more benzendicarboxylic acid was detected from COPD patients than in healthy persons. In addition, patients had a variety of decane. Phosphorous compounds with different isomers were detected from patients. The results obtained by gas sensor system were processed by PCA (Principal Component Analysis). The PCA results revealed distinct difference between the patients and healthy people.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.317-326
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• 1999

Background: Neural control of airway function is through parasympathetic, sympathetic and non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic mechanisms. The autonomic nervous system controls the airway smooth muscle tone, mucociliary system, permeability and blood flow in the bronchial circulation and release of mediators from the mast cells and other inflammatory cells. The cardiovascular and respiratory autonomic efferent fibers have a common central origin, so altered cardiovascular autonomic reflexes could reflect the altered respiratory autonomic status. Therefore, we performed this study to assess the autonomic abnormality and determine the correlating factors of severity of autonomic neuropathy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) using easily reproducible cardiovascular autonomic reflex function test. Method: The study included 20 patients with COPD and 20 healthy persons obtained on Health Promotion Center in Yeungnam university hospital. All the patients had history and clinical features of COPD as defined by the American Thoracic Society. Any patients with myocardial ischemia, cardiac arrythmia, hypertension, central or peripheral nervous system disease, diabetes mellitus, or any other diseases known to produce autonomic neuropathy, has excluded. The autonomic nervous system function tests included three tests evaluating the parasympathetic system and two tests evaluating the sympathetic system. And also all subjects were subjected to pulmonary function test and arterial blood gas analysis. Results: Autonomic dysfunction was more commonly associated with patients with COPD than healthy person The parasympathetic dysfunction was frequent in patient with COPD, but sympathetic dysfunction seemed preserved. The severity of parasympathetic dysfunction in patients with COPD was correlated with the degree of duration of disease, smoking, reductions in the value of $FEV_1$ and FVC, and arterial hypoxemia but no such correlation existed for age, type of COPD, $FEV_1$/FVC, or $PaCO_s$. Conclusion: There is high frequency of parasympathetic dysfunction associated with COPD and the parasympathetic abnormality in COPD is increased in proportion to severity of airway disease. In COPD, parasympathetic dysfunction probably does not the cause of disease, but it may be an effect of disease progression.