Quantitative assessment of emphysema and bronchial wall thickness in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: comparison between the eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic phenotypes / Avaliação quantitativa de enfisema e espessamento parietal brônquico em pacientes com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica estável: comparação entre os fenótipos eosinofílico e não eosinofílico

Abstract Objective: To perform a quantitative assessment of bronchial wall thickening and the emphysema score in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), comparing the eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic COPD phenotypes. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of patients with COPD followed between August 2018 and July 2019. The patients were divided into two groups by the eosinophil count in peripheral blood: eosinophilic (≥ 300 cells/µL); and non-eosinophilic (< 300 cells/µL). Quantitative, automated assessments of emphysema and bronchial wall thickness were performed by evaluating computed tomography scans of the chest. Results: We evaluated the records of 110 patients diagnosed with COPD: 28 (25.5%) in the eosinophilic group; and 82 (74.5%) in the non-eosinophilic group. The demographic, clinical, functional, and therapeutic variables were comparable between the two groups. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the emphysema score or bronchial wall thickness (p > 0.05 for both). Conclusion: Patients with eosinophilic COPD do not appear to have lower emphysema scores or greater bronchial wall thickening than do those with non-eosinophilic phenotypes of the disease.

Resumo Objetivo: Avaliar quantitativamente o escore de enfisema e o espessamento da parede brônquica de pacientes com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica (DPOC) estável e comparar os fenótipos eosinofílico e não eosinofílico. Materiais e Métodos: Estudo observacional, transversal, retrospectivo, que avaliou pacientes com DPOC no período de agosto de 2018 a julho de 2019. Os pacientes foram separados dois grupos, de acordo com o número de eosinófilos periféricos: os eosinofílicos (≥ 300 células/µL) e os não eosinofílicos (< 300 células/µL). Foram realizadas avaliações quantitativas e automatizadas de enfisema e de espessamento brônquico para os dois grupos por meio de tomografia computadorizada de tórax. Resultados: Foram coletados dados de 110 pacientes com o diagnóstico de DPOC, dos quais 28 (25,5%) apresentaram perfil eosinofílico. As variáveis demográficas, clínicas, funcionais e terapêuticas do grupo dos pacientes com perfil eosinofílico foram semelhantes às do grupo não eosinofílico. Não se observaram diferenças significativas em relação ao escore de enfisema e à medida de espessura de parede brônquica entre os dois grupos (p > 0,05). Conclusão: Neste estudo, os pacientes com fenótipo eosinofílico não apresentaram menor escore de enfisema e nem maior espessamento parietal brônquico.

Clinical evolution of a severe asthmatics group in the use of immunobiological therapy in a Brazilian Public Hospital

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: A small portion of the asthmatic population (3.6%) has severe asthma (SA), presenting high morbimortality rates and demanding more financial resources than other asthmatic populations. The use of immunobiological therapy is an effective tool in controlling symptoms, decreasing the number of exacerbations, and reducing the use of systemic corticosteroids in these patients. In Brazil, epidemiological data regarding this asthmatic population using immunobiologicals and their evolution are scarce. METHODS: This is an observational, analytical, cross-sectional, and retrospective study. The sample consisted of adult patients with SA in follow-up at the pulmonology service of the Complexo Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Paraná, from January 2011 to August 2019. The analyzed variables were as follows: the number of exacerbations that required hospitalization in the previous year, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and asthma control test (ACT) scores before and after the start of immunobiological therapy. RESULTS: We studied 20 patients with SA using omalizumab or mepolizumab. We observed an increase in the mean ACT score of 4.8 points, a nonsignificant reduction in the number of exacerbations that required hospitalization, and a slight improvement in the FEV1. Regarding the patients using chronic systemic corticosteroid therapy, 14.2% (n=1) of patients had the medication discontinued and 57% (n=4) of patients had the dose reduced by half. CONCLUSION: The use of omalizumab and mepolizumab as additional therapy in SA provided a significant improvement in the ACT and allowed the dose reduction of systemic corticosteroids, without significant improvement in FEV1 and in the frequency of severe exacerbations.

Sarcopenia in COPD: relationship with COPD severity and prognosis / Sarcopenia na DPOC: relação com a gravidade e o prognóstico da DPOC

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of sarcopenia in COPD patients, as well as to determine whether sarcopenia correlates with the severity and prognosis of COPD.Methods: A cross-sectional study with COPD patients followed at the pulmonary outpatient clinic of our institution. The patients underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The diagnosis of sarcopenia was made on the basis of the skeletal muscle index, defined as appendicular lean mass/height2 only for low-weight subjects and adjusted for fat mass in normal/overweight subjects. Disease severity (COPD stage) was evaluated with the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria. The degree of obstruction and prognosis were determined by the Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise capacity (BODE) index.Results: We recruited 91 patients (50 females), with a mean age of 67.4 ± 8.7 years and a mean BMI of 25.8 ± 6.1 kg/m2. Sarcopenia was observed in 36 (39.6%) of the patients, with no differences related to gender, age, or smoking status. Sarcopenia was not associated with the GOLD stage or with FEV1 (used as an indicator of the degree of obstruction). The BMI, percentage of body fat, and total lean mass were lower in the patients with sarcopenia than in those without (p < 0.001). Sarcopenia was more prevalent among the patients in BODE quartile 3 or 4 than among those in BODE quartile 1 or 2 (p = 0.009). The multivariate analysis showed that the BODE quartile was significantly associated with sarcopenia, regardless of age, gender, smoking status, and GOLD stage.Conclusions: In COPD patients, sarcopenia appears to be associated with unfavorable changes in body composition and with a poor prognosis.

Objetivo: Avaliar a prevalência de sarcopenia em pacientes com DPOC e determinar se sarcopenia está correlacionada com a gravidade e o prognóstico de DPOC.Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo em pacientes com DPOC atendidos no ambulatório de pneumologia de nossa instituição. Os pacientes realizaram absorciometria de dupla energia por raios X. O diagnóstico de sarcopenia foi baseado no índice de massa muscular esquelética, definido como massa magra apendicular/altura2 somente para indivíduos com baixo peso, sendo ajustado pela massa gorda para aqueles com peso normal/sobrepeso. A gravidade da doença (estádio da DPOC) foi avaliada com os critérios da Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). O grau de obstrução e o prognóstico foram determinados pelo índice Body mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea, and Exercise capacity (BODE).Resultados: Foram incluídos 91 pacientes (50 mulheres), com média de idade de 67,4 ± 8,7 anos e média de IMC de 25,8 ± 6,1 kg/m2. Sarcopenia foi diagnosticada em 36 (39,6%) dos pacientes, sem diferenças relacionadas a sexo, idade ou status tabágico. Não houve associação de sarcopenia com estádios GOLD ou VEF1 (utilizado como indicador do grau de obstrução). O IMC, a porcentagem de gordura corporal e a massa magra total foram menores nos pacientes com sarcopenia do que naqueles sem a doença (p < 0,001). A prevalência de sarcopenia foi maior nos pacientes com BODE nos quartis 3 ou 4 que naqueles com BODE nos quartis 1 ou 2 (p = 0,009). A análise multivariada mostrou que os quartis do BODE estavam significativamente associados à sarcopenia, independentemente de idade, gênero, status tabágico e estádio GOLD.Conclusões: Em pacientes com DPOC, sarcopenia parece estar associada a alterações desfavoráveis na composição corporal e pior prognóstico.

Utility of Asthma Control Questionnaire 7 in the assessment of asthma control / Utilidade do instrumento Asthma Control Questionnaire 7 na avaliação do controle da asma

Our objective was to evaluate the reproducibility of Asthma Control Questionnaire 7 (ACQ-7) in asthma patients, comparing our results against those obtained with the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) criteria. We evaluated 52 patients. Patients completed the ACQ-7, underwent spirometry, and were clinically assessed to determine the level of asthma control according to the GINA criteria, in two visits, 15 days apart. The ACQ-7 cutoff for uncontrolled asthma was a score of 1.5. The ACQ-7 showed good reproducibility, with a correlation coefficient of 0.73. The ACQ-7 identified a greater number of patients with uncontrolled asthma than did the GINA criteria; according to the GINA criteria, 47 patients (90.4%) presented with partially controlled asthma.

Nosso objetivo foi avaliar a reprodutibilidade do Asthma Control Questionnaire 7 (ACQ-7) em asmáticos e comparar os resultados com os critérios de controle da Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Foram avaliados 52 pacientes em duas visitas com intervalo de 15 dias entre si. Os pacientes responderam o ACQ-7, realizaram espirometria e foram avaliados clinicamente para verificar o controle da asma de acordo com a GINA nas duas visitas. Em relação ao ACQ-7, o ponto de corte para asma não controlada foi definido em 1,5. Os resultados de ACQ-7 demonstraram boa reprodutibilidade, com coeficiente de correlação de 0,73. O ACQ-7 identificou um maior número de pacientes com asma não controlada em relação aos critérios da GINA; segundo os critérios GINA, 47 pacientes (90,4%) tinham asma parcialmente controlada.

Linfangite carcinomatosa pulmonar como manifestação inicial de adenocarcinoma de ovário / Carcinomatous lymphangitis as the initial manifestation of ovarian adenocarcinoma

A linfangite carcinomatosa corresponde a cerca de 8 por cento das neoplasias pulmonares metastáticas. Os sítios primários mais comuns são mama, pulmão, estômago, próstata e pâncreas. Descrevemos o caso de uma paciente de 42 anos na qual a primeira manifestação de um adenocarcinoma de ovário foi a linfangite carcinomatosa, uma forma incomum de apresentação da doença.

Carcinomatous lymphangitis accounts for approximately 8 percent of all cases of metastatic pulmonary tumors. The most common primary sites are breast, lung, stomach, prostate and pancreas. We describe herein the case of a 42-year-old woman in whom the first manifestation of an ovarian adenocarcinoma was carcinomatous lymphangitis of the lung, an unusual presentation of the disease.