Government medical agencies need to view toxic exposure as a high-priority issue deserving of specialized centers for research and monitoring.
Comorbidities Led to More Severe COVID-19 Cases Among MHS Beneficiaries
About a third of COVID-19 cases among MHS beneficiaries were diagnosed with at least one comorbidity linked to more severe infection
New Definitions for Flu-Related Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis
Patients admitted to intensive care units with influenza increasingly are being diagnosed with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
Serum Testosterone Inversely Associated With Asthma Prevalence
TAMPA, FL—Do testosterone levels affect asthma prevalence and lung function? A new study sought to answer that question. The report in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology in Practice pointed out that asthma prevalence decreases post-puberty in males,...
Deployment Doesn’t Appear to Affect Sarcoidosis in Soldiers
FORT BRAGG, NC—Based on research investigating the potential link between deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and increases in pulmonary disease, data on conditions such as asthma and airway hyperreactivity are well established, but...
What Leads to Pulmonology Referrals for Veterans With COPD?
BOSTON—At the VA and elsewhere, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease often is managed by primary care physicians and sometimes pulmonologists, but it is not clear what factors spur consultations by pulmonary specialists. In fact, according to a report in Respiratory...
Standard Treatment for Pneumonia Usually Equal to More Powerful Antibiotics
SALT LAKE CITY—A new study is likely to change treatment patterns for veterans diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. New research suggests that using antibiotics that target antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a first-line therapy for pneumonia appears to be unnecessary in...
Nurse Researcher Pushes Teeth-Brushing to Decrease Hospital Infections
SALEM, VA—It’s a frustrating reality of hospital life—the possibility that a patient might develop an illness under care that they did not have when they arrived. Caused by bacteria rather than a virus, hospital-acquired pneumonia is the second most common type of...
Recent Deployed Veterans Have Greater Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction
Small Study Looked at Those Serving in Iraq, Afghanistan EAST ORANGE, NJ—For more than 20 years, many veterans have reported respiratory issues following deployment to southwest Asia. Epidemiological studies indicate that exposure to sand, dust storms, burn pits, air...
Do VA PCPs Over-Prescribe Corticosteroids for Mild-Moderate COPD?
CLEVELAND—Veterans are three times more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than the general population, and COPD is the fifth most prevalent disease in the veteran population, affecting about 15% of VHA patients, according to previous research. A...
Trying to Determine What Leads to Tobacco Cessation in Vets
MINNEAPOLIS — Incidental pulmonary nodules are commonly found on routine chest imaging, but not enough is known about smoking behaviors among patients with IPNs or characteristics of patient-clinician communication that may contribute to these behaviors.
Benzodiazepines Prescribed Long-Term for COPD/PTSD
SEATTLE — Symptoms of insomnia and anxiety are common among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and that is especially the case among patients with comorbid mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, according to a new study.
Tests Show No Lung Changes for Recent Veterans
SAN ANTONIO — Significant airborne hazards were reported during military conflicts in southwest Asia, including geologic dusts, burn pit emissions, chemical exposures, and increased rates of smoking.
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...
VA Announces Plans to Create 3D-Printed Artificial Lung
3D Printing Already Personalizes Care in Other Ways ANN ARBOR, MI—VA scientists in Michigan recently announced they are working to create a three-dimensional-printed artificial lung. The lab-created lung could transform treatment for some of the approximately one...
As burn pit registry grows, VA expands research into related lung disease
The potential cost to the VA for lung disease associated with deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan shot up this year when an administrative law judge with the U.S. Department of Labor ruled that exposure to open-air burn pits caused a veteran’s lung disease.
Longer LOS Doesn’t Reduce COPD Readmissions
Recent financial penalties for high risk-adjusted chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) readmissions have pushed hospitals to search for ways to reduce readmissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a new study notes.
