The lower airways of asymptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients can be colonized by bacteria, mainly Haemophilus influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Moraxella catarrhalis. However, the role of lower airway bacteria in stable and exacerbated COPD has not been well defined. To determine the importance of lower airway bacterial infection in COPD we studied 40 outpatients with stable COPD (Group A: age 61.1 +/- 9.9 yr; [mean +/- SD]; FEV1/FVC 51.7 +/- 12.5) and 29 outpatients with exacerbated COPD (Group B: age 63.4, SD 9.0 yr; FEV1/FVC 52.0, SD 9.6), using the protected specimen brush (PSB) for microbiology sampling. Group A consisted of outpatients with stable COPD having normal or near-normal chest X-rays, with clinical indications for performing fiber-bronchoscopy (pulmonary nodule, remote hemoptysis); Group B consisted of patients with exacerbated COPD who voluntarily accepted lower airway microbiology sampling. To avoid contamination by upper airway flora the PSB was used for bacterial sampling in all the cases and concentrations > or = 1,000 colony-forming units/milliliter (CFU/ml) were considered positive. Results were as follows: Group A: Lung function data in outpatients with stable COPD were lower than the reference values for this population (FVC 2.97 +/- 1.02 L, FVC% 71.4 +/- 22.4, FEV1 1.59 +/- 0.79 L, FEV1% 51.2 +/- 23.0). Positive PSB cultures were obtained in 10 of 40 cases (25%), mainly of H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae. Two of 40 cases had positive cultures at concentrations > or = 10,000 CFU/ml (5.0%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

For the adaptation, the forward and back-translation method by bilinguals was used, together with professional committee and lay panel. Once tested for feasibility and comprehension, 318 male chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients with a wide range of disease severity completed the Spanish version of the SGRQ. The clinical status of the patients was evaluated concurrently with the measurement of health status. Lung function was assessed in the 2 months before or after the questionnaire administration.The Spanish version of the SGRQ was acceptable and easy to understand. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.94 for the overall scale and 0.72 for "Symptoms", 0.89 for "Activity", and 0.89 for "Impacts" subscales. Correlation coefficients between the overall score and dyspnoea and % forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were 0.59 and -0.45, respectively, and these correlations were higher than those observed between the clinical variables and the Nottingham Health Profile, a generic measure of health-related quality of life.Results of the study suggest that the Spanish version of the SGRQ is conceptually equivalent to the original, and similarly reliable and valid. Although further studies should complete the adaptation work, results suggest that the SGRQ may already be used in Spain and in international studies involving Spanish respiratory patients. According to the present approach, it appears to be feasible to adapt a specific questionnaire on health-related quality of life in respiratory disease to another language and culture. Eur Respir J., 1996Respir J., , 9, 1160Respir J., -1166

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasingly considered a heterogeneous condition. It was hypothesised that COPD, as currently defined, includes different clinically relevant subtypes. Methods To identify and validate COPD subtypes, 342 subjects hospitalised for the first time because of a COPD exacerbation were recruited. Three months after discharge, when clinically stable, symptoms and quality of life, lung function, exercise capacity, nutritional status, biomarkers of systemic and bronchial inflammation, sputum microbiology, CT of the thorax and echocardiography were assessed. COPD groups were identified by partitioning cluster analysis and validated prospectively against cause-specific hospitalisations and all-cause mortality during a 4 year follow-up. Results Three COPD groups were identified: group 1 (n¼126, 67 years) was characterised by severe airflow limitation (postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ) 38% predicted) and worse performance in most of the respiratory domains of the disease; group 2 (n¼125, 69 years) showed milder airflow limitation (FEV 1

To assess whether generic and specific health-related quality of life (HRQL) are independently associated with total and specific mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we followed until 1999 a cohort of 321 male patients with COPD, recruited in 1993-1994 at outpatient respiratory clinics. Baseline characteristics recorded under stable clinical conditions included forced spirometry, arterial blood gas tensions, dyspnea scales, 11 comorbid conditions, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and SF-36 Health Survey. Vital status was assessed through reinterviews, the Mortality Register, and clinical records. Subjects who died (106) were older (69.8 versus 62.5 years) (p < 0.001), had lower body mass index (BMI) (25.4 versus 27.1) (p < 0.01), were more impaired in the clinical characteristics studied (%FEV(1), 34.0 versus 51.0) (p < 0.001), and had long-term oxygen therapy more frequently (31% versus 7%) (p < 0.001). Survival was shorter when worse HRQL was reported. SGRQ total and SF-36 physical summary scores were independently associated with total and respiratory mortality in Cox models, including age, FEV(1), and BMI. The total mortality-standardized hazard ratios for both HRQL measures were 1.3, whereas those for FEV(1) were 1.6. HRQL measures provide independent and relevant information on the health status of male patients with COPD. Their use should be considered for a more thorough evaluation and staging of patients with COPD.

Although exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is important in terms of health and costs, there is little information about which are the risk factors. We estimated the association between modifiable and nonmodifiable potential risk factors of exacerbation and the admission for a COPD exacerbation, using a case-control approach. Cases were recruited among admissions for COPD exacerbation during 1 yr in four tertiary hospitals of the Barcelona area. Control subjects were recruited from hospital's register of discharges, having coincided with the referent case in a previous COPD admission but being clinically stable when the referent case was hospitalized. All patients completed a questionnaire and performed spirometry, blood gases, and physical examination. Information about potential risk factors was collected, including variables related to clinical status, characteristics of medical care, medical prescriptions, adherence to medication, lifestyle, quality of life, and social support. A total of 86 cases and 86 control subjects were included, mean age 69 yr, mean FEV(1) 39% of predicted. Multivariate logistic regression showed the following risk (or protective) factors of COPD hospitalization: three or more COPD admissions in the previous year (odds ratio [OR] 6.21, p = 0.008); FEV(1) (OR 0.96 per percentual unit, p < 0.0005); underprescription of long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) (OR 22.64, p = 0.007); and current smoking (OR 0.30, p = 0.022). Among a wide range of potential risk factors we have found that only previous admissions, lower FEV(1), and underprescription of LTOT are independently associated with a higher risk of admission for a COPD exacerbation.

One quarter of the patients with COPD are colonized by PPMs during their stable periods. Exacerbation is associated with the overgrowth of PPMs and with the appearance of P aeruginosa in the lower airway, which is associated with exacerbation symptoms independent of load.

The most prevalent phyla in sputum were Proteobacteria (44%) and Firmicutes (16%), followed by Actinobacteria (13%). A greater microbial diversity was found in patients with moderate-to-severe disease, and alpha diversity showed a statistically significant decrease in patients with advanced disease when assessed by Shannon ( ‫؍‬ 0.528; P ‫؍‬ 0.029, Spearman correlation coefficient) and Chao1 ( ‫؍‬ 0.53; P ‫؍‬ 0.028, Spearman correlation coefficient) alpha-diversity indexes. The higher severity that characterizes advanced COPD is paralleled by a decrease in the diversity of the bronchial microbiome, with a loss of part of the resident flora that is replaced by a more restricted microbiota that includes PPMs.

Farmers are known to be at high risk for the development of occupational airway disease. The aim of this European study was to determine which airway symptoms predominate in different types of animal farmers (cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep) and to compare the prevalence of symptoms to the general population.A total of 6,156 randomly selected animal farmers in Denmark, Germany (SchleswigHolstein, Niedersachsen), Switzerland, and Spain completed a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms and farming characteristics in 1995±1997. The prevalence of general respiratory symptoms was compared to the results of the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) obtained in the same regions.Pig farmers were at highest risk for the development of work-related symptoms. A signi®cant dose-response relationship between daily hours worked inside animal houses and symptoms was established for pig and poultry farmers. Additionally, self-reported nasal allergies (odds ratio (95% con®dence interval): 3.92 (3.26±4.71)) and nasal irritation during work (3.98 (3.35±4.73)) were shown to be associated with the development of chronic phlegm. The prevalence of wheezing, shortness of breath, asthma and nasal allergies was sign®cantly lower among all farmers in the age group 20±44 yrs than among the general population. However, the prevalence of usually bringing up phlegm in winter among farmers was signi®cantly higher than in the general population (9.4 (8.3±10.5%) versus 7.5 (6.5±8.5%)).Individual factors have been shown to be related to the prevalence of chronic phlegm among farmers. Additionally, this study could support the hypothesis that farming could be negatively related to allergic diseases. Eur Respir J 2001; 17: 747±754.