Enlightening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through patients’ and caregivers’ narratives

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Abstract

Purpose

The primary aim of this research was to raise awareness for COPD through real narratives of patients, caregivers, and pulmonologists. The second objective includes providing clinicians new means of caring for and treating patients with COPD.

Methods

Using narrative medicine, testimonies from patients, their caregivers, and clinicians were collected through an online questionnaire enriched by a narrative plot. Narrations were analyzed throughout descriptive statistics and an elaboration of recurring words and expressions.

Results

Throughout the project, 350 narratives were collected from 235 patients, 55 caregivers, and 60 physicians. Though a generally neutral reaction had been observed upon diagnosis, COPD had been found to have a high impact on the patients’ and caregivers’ lives. Metaphors utilized by patients and caregivers were suggestive of fear and panic unlike those utilized by clinicians who usually had a more technical approach. Smoking was a significant concern for not only patients and caregivers but also clinicians.

Conclusion

Physicians are therefore challenged to find new ways of communicating COPD to raise awareness on this pathology and encourage corrective habits. An important social objective should be the implementation of a health system that is able to optimize patients’ and caregivers’ lives.

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Most cited references 31

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An official American Thoracic Society public policy statement: Novel risk factors and the global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Nino Kuenzli, Dirkje S. Postma, John R. Balmes … (2010)

Although cigarette smoking is the most important cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a substantial proportion of COPD cases cannot be explained by smoking alone. To evaluate the risk factors for COPD besides personal cigarette smoking. We constituted an ad hoc subcommittee of the American Thoracic Society Environmental and Occupational Health Assembly. An international group of members was invited, based on their scientific expertise in a specific risk factor for COPD. For each risk factor area, the committee reviewed the literature, summarized the evidence, and developed conclusions about the likelihood of it causing COPD. All conclusions were based on unanimous consensus. The population-attributable fraction for smoking as a cause of COPD ranged from 9.7 to 97.9%, but was less than 80% in most studies, indicating a substantial burden of disease attributable to nonsmoking risk factors. On the basis of our review, we concluded that specific genetic syndromes and occupational exposures were causally related to the development of COPD. Traffic and other outdoor pollution, secondhand smoke, biomass smoke, and dietary factors are associated with COPD, but sufficient criteria for causation were not met. Chronic asthma and tuberculosis are associated with irreversible loss of lung function, but there remains uncertainty about whether there are important phenotypic differences compared with COPD as it is typically encountered in clinical settings. In public health terms, a substantive burden of COPD is attributable to risk factors other than smoking. To prevent COPD-related disability and mortality, efforts must focus on prevention and cessation of exposure to smoking and these other, less well-recognized risk factors.

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Mortality in COPD: Role of comorbidities.

J Soriano, Don Sin, N R Anthonisen … (2006)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents an increasing burden throughout the world. COPD-related mortality is probably underestimated because of the difficulties associated with identifying the precise cause of death. Respiratory failure is considered the major cause of death in advanced COPD. Comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and lung cancer are also major causes and, in mild-to-moderate COPD, are the leading causes of mortality. The links between COPD and these conditions are not fully understood. However, a link through the inflammation pathway has been suggested, as persistent low-grade pulmonary and systemic inflammation, both known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer, are present in COPD independent of cigarette smoking. Lung-specific measurements, such as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), predict mortality in COPD and in the general population. However, composite tools, such as health-status measurements (e.g. St George's Respiratory Questionnaire) and the BODE index, which incorporates Body mass index, lung function (airflow Obstruction), Dyspnoea and Exercise capacity, predict mortality better than FEV(1) alone. These multidimensional tools may be more valuable because, unlike predictive approaches based on single parameters, they can reflect the range of comorbidities and the complexity of underlying mechanisms associated with COPD. The current paper reviews the role of comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality, the putative underlying pathogenic link between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and comorbid conditions (i.e. inflammation), and the tools used to predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality.

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Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.

James K. Stoller, Loutfi Aboussouan (2015)

Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency is a genetic disorder that affects about one in 2000-5000 individuals. It is clinically characterised by liver disease and early-onset emphysema. Although alpha1 antitrypsin is mainly produced in the liver, its main function is to protect the lung against proteolytic damage from neutrophil elastase. The most frequent mutation that causes severe alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency arises in the SERPINA 1 gene and gives rise to the Z allele. This mutation reduces concentrations in serum of alpha1 antitrypsin by retaining polymerised molecules within hepatocytes: an amount below the serum protective threshold of 11 micromol/L increases risk for emphysema. In addition to the usual treatments for emphysema, infusion of purified alpha1 antitrypsin from pooled human plasma represents a specific treatment and raises the concentrations in serum and epithelial-lining fluid above the protective threshold. Evidence suggests that this approach is safe, slows the decline of lung function, could reduce infection rates, and might enhance survival. However, uncertainty about the cost-effectiveness of this expensive treatment remains.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis

Journal ID (publisher-id): International Journal of COPD

Title: International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Publisher: Dove Medical Press

ISSN (Print): 1176-9106

ISSN (Electronic): 1178-2005

Publication date Collection: 2018

Publication date (Electronic): 05 October 2018

Volume: 13

Pages: 3095-3105

Affiliations

[1 ]Health Care Area, Fondazione ISTUD, Milan, Italy, vgatti@ 123456istud.it

[2 ]Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi IRCCS, Milan, Italy

[3 ]Respiratory Unit, ASST San Paolo e San Carlo, Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

[4 ]Italian Patient’s Association “BPCO ONLUS”, Rome, Italy

[5 ]Italian General Practitioners’ Association “SIMG”, Florence, Local Health Unit of Montale, Pistoia, Italy

[6 ]Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A, Parma, Italy

Author notes

Correspondence: Valeria Gatti, Fondazione ISTUD, Via Vittor Pisani 28, 2014 Milano, Italy, Tel +39 032 393 3801, Fax +39 032 393 3805, Email vgatti@ 123456istud.it

Article

Publisher ID: copd-13-3095

DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S172214

PMC ID: 6178274

License:

The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed.

Enlightening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through patients’ and caregivers’ narratives

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Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Related collections

International Journal of COPD

Most cited references 31

An official American Thoracic Society public policy statement: Novel risk factors and the global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mortality in COPD: Role of comorbidities.

Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency.

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