Full Description
The pronounced variability in the incidence and severity of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD, makes effective treatment more difficult, and the social and economic costs of these diseases all the greater. Acute exacerbations are multi-factorial in origin, and are known to be linked with a number of factors including allergens, atmospheric pollution and infectious agents. Effective treatment requires a similarly complex approach that addresses each of the component causes. This text brings together current knowledge of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of these episodes, and the latest experimental models by which researchers are seeking to improve our understanding of their incidence and progression. The book concludes with a review of the latest ideas on therapy for exacerbations. The authors evaluate the individual efficacy of current treatments in the light of this knowledge and present new recommendations for formulating effective therapeutic regimes.
Contents
CONTENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS; 1. COPD exacerbations: definitions and classifications, JA Wedzicha; 2. Infectious etiologies in acute exacerbation of COPD, S Sethi; 3. Association between airway bacterial load, FEV1 decline and markers of airway inflammation in patients with COPD, CP Page; 4. Pathophysiology of COPD exacerbations, M Saetta; 5. Acute respiratory failure during exacerbation of COPD, A Rossi; 6. Effects of acute exacerbations on nutritional and metabolic profile of patients with COPD, EF Wouters; 7. Outcomes of exacerbations of COPD, DA Mahler; 8. Antibiotics in the treatment of acute exacerbations of COPD, A Anzueto; 9. Interrelationship between pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in choosing the appropriate antibiotic and the dosage regimen for treating acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, G Amsden; 10. Acute exacerbation of COPD: application of evidence-based guidelines, F Blasi; 11. Economic evaluation of the antibiotic treatment of exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and COPD, M Miravitlles; 12. Managing acute exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with bronchodilators and corticosteroids, M Cazzola; 13. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation for treatment of respiratory failure due to exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, S Nava; 14. Hospital at home for acute exacerbations of COPD, J Roca; 15. Prevention of exacerbations of COPD, FJ Martinez; 16. Future pharmacologic therapy of exacerbations in COPD, N Hanania; List of Abbreviations; Index.
