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Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) continues to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1]. Several therapeutic approaches are available, yet treatment and prediction of [...], Background It has been suggested that identifying phenotypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) might improve treatment outcome and the accuracy of prediction of prognosis. In observational studies vitamin D deficiency has been associated with decreased pulmonary function, presence of emphysema and osteoporosis, upper respiratory tract infections, and systemic inflammation. This could indicate a relationship between vitamin D status and COPD phenotypes. The aim of this study was to assess the association between vitamin D levels and COPD phenotypes. In addition, seasonality of vitamin D levels was examined. Methods A total of 91 patients from a Danish subpopulation of the "Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate End-points" cohort took part in a biomarker substudy. Vitamin D concentration was measured from blood samples taken at two visits, approximately 6 months apart. The participants were 40-75-year old patients with COPD and had a smoking history of >10 pack-years. Results Fifty-six patients had 25-hydroxyvitamin D measured from blood samples from both visits. In the final model of the multivariate analyses, the factors that were associated with vitamin D deficiency at the first visit were age (OR: 0.89, p = 0.02) and summer season (OR: 3.3, p = 0.03). Factors associated with vitamin D level also at the first visit were age (B: 0.9, p = 0.02) and 6 min walking distance (B: 0.05, p = 0.01). Conclusion Vitamin D was not associated with COPD phenotypes and season did not seem to be a determinant of vitamin D levels in patients with moderate to severe COPD. Keywords 25(OH)D * Biomarker * Seasonality * COPD * Vitamin D * Phenotypes

A study was conducted to evaluate the frequency and associations of exacerbation in the case of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Results indicated that exacerbations became more frequent and severe with the progress of COPD; however, reflect an independent susceptibility phenotype.

A study tests the hypothesis that a combination of the long-acting [beta]-agonist salmeterol and the inhaled corticosteroid fluticasone propionate reduces mortality among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as compared with usual care. Results show that the reduction in death from all causes among patients with COPD in the combination-therapy group does not reach the predetermined level of statistical significance, but significant benefits are noted in all other outcomes among the patients.

Lung function declines more rapidly in adults with asthma than adults without asthma. This was the conclusion of a 15-year study of 17,506 participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. A total of 1,095 had asthma. Compared to those without asthma, those with asthma experienced greater declines in FEV1, which is a measure of how much air can be exhaled from the lungs in one second. This was true even among non-smokers, but smokers with asthma had even greater declines in FEV1.