Now that the first major provisions of the PACT Act went into effect at the beginning of last month, what happens next?
Airway Abnormalities in Post-9/11 Deployed Military Personnel Detected by Quantitative Imaging Analysis
Quantitative imaging analysis has been able to detect airway abnormalities in military personnel with persistent respiratory symptoms, offering a new, effective tool to diagnose and monitor patients with deployment-related lung disease, according to a recent study.
Burn Pit Exposure Legislation Likely to Get Senate Vote Soon
The Honoring Our PACT Act–the comprehensive toxic exposure legislation that passed with broad bipartisan support in the House–is looking increasingly like it will get a vote in the Senate.
Paradoxical Bronchospasm Might Go Unrecognized at VHA Facilities
It is rare, but inhaled short-acting β2-adrenergic agonists can elicit paradoxical bronchospasm (PB), which may be fatal. A new study raised concerns that the condition might be unrecognized at the VHA.
What Affects COPD Patients’ Response to Home Pollution
How COPD patients respond to particulate pollution based on personal characteristics and systemic responses is not well characterized. That’s why a new study sought to find out.
Factors Affecting Which COPD Patients Complete Pulmonary Rehab
Which veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are likely to participate in and complete a pulmonary rehabilitation program?
Cytomegalovirus Linked to Airflow Limitation in Smokers
A common herpesvirus infection, cytomegalovirus can have a wide range of symptoms, from no symptoms to fever and fatigue to severe symptoms involving the eyes, brain or other internal organs. It is spread through sexual and nonsexual contact with body secretions.
Metformin Shows Promise in Treating Asthma-COPD Combination
A common diabetes drug has been shown to improve respiratory outcomes in asthma but its effects on COPD and the combination of asthma and COPD remained unknown.
Many Female VA Patients Appear to Have Undiagnosed OSA
Too many women veterans remained undiagnosed with sleep apnea, even if they were at high risk of adverse outcomes, according to a new study.
Sleep Disorders More Prevalent in Army Vs. Other Services
While sleep problems are widespread in active-duty U.S. military servicemembers, Army personnel appear to have the most problems.
VA Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to Veterans With COPD
There’s some good news for veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Servicemembers With Asthma Can Breathe Easier About Deployment Risks
A significant number of servicemembers deployed to southwest Asia report an increase in respiratory symptoms during and after their tours of duty
‘Happy Hypoxia’ Might Not Be Such a Mystery After All in COVID-19
Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians were often baffled by patients who presented with extremely low levels of oxygen. Although oxygenation was so low it was potentially life-threatening in some cases, patients showed no obvious difficulty in breathing.
VA Outlines Stepwise Treatment for Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome
Respiratory illnesses account for a significant proportion of all noncombat diagnoses among active duty forces and veterans deployed to southwest Asia; past research estimates that more than 3% of all veterans who served in this theater had newly diagnosed asthma and a similar percentage were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. How to treat those patients is even more difficult when the conditions overlap. That’s why the VA has developed recommendations for the stepwise treatment of asthma-COPD overlap syndrome.
Combat, Not Deployment, Appears to Increase Risk of New-Onset Asthma
BETHESDA, MD—Many reports have suggested that servicemembers who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan developed respiratory illnesses at higher-than-expected rates, but study results looking at increased rates of asthma have been mixed. A new study by Navy and VA...
Steroid Overuse Suggests Benefit to Flipping PCP/Specialist Paradigm in COPD
SEATTLE—New guidelines published in 2017 upended recommendations for use of inhaled corticosteroids in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary. Two years later, many VA patients still receive discordant care. To fix the problem, the VA’s Health Services Research...
Study Looks at Soldiers’ Pre-Deployment Respiratory Health
The respiratory health of military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia continues to be an issue of great concern in light of their exposures to a variety of environmental hazards.