COPD Foundation is launching COPD PRAXIS (Prevent and Reduce COPD Admissions through eXpertise and Innovation Sharing)

Dear Respiratory Friends,

Today the COPD Foundation is launching COPD PRAXIS (Prevent and Reduce COPD Admissions through eXpertise and Innovation Sharing), an initiative aimed at improving COPD care and reducing preventable hospital readmissions.

PRAXIS is a robust collaborative and multidisciplinary effort to advance the scientific knowledge around how to reduce COPD readmissions and facilitate the dissemination and implementation of best practices, tools and new ideas. Front-line clinical providers across the care continuum, those in charge of designing care delivery systems, policy makers, healthcare solutions companies and more are looking for solutions to help reduce COPD readmission rates. PRAXIS can help. - See more at: http://www.copdfoundation.org/Praxis/About-PRAXIS/Why-PRAXIS.aspx#sthash.dDVmuXYy.dpuf

PRAXIS is a robust collaborative and multidisciplinary effort to advance the scientific knowledge around how to reduce COPD readmissions and facilitate the dissemination and implementation of best practices, tools and new ideas. Front-line clinical providers across the care continuum, those in charge of designing care delivery systems, policy makers, healthcare solutions companies and more are looking for solutions to help reduce COPD readmission rates. PRAXIS can help. - See more at: http://www.copdfoundation.org/Praxis/About-PRAXIS/Why-PRAXIS.aspx#sthash.dDVmuXYy.dpuf

The backbone of the project will be an interactive website containing:

• Discussion boards and a blog to facilitate sharing of best practices;
• A resource repository full of toolkits, articles, and promising practices related to improving COPD care and reducing readmissions;
• A learning center where we will host live, video, and paper professional development opportunities;
• A policy corner containing relevant policy statements and legislative news; 
• An innovation center, where we'll keep the community up to date on promising new approaches and technology.

The site is LIVE at www.copdfoundation.org/PRAXIS. 

Please forward this message to colleagues who may find this information beneficial and let us know if you have any comments or questions at COPDPRAXIS@copdfoundation.org.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Asthma–COPD Overlap Syndrome 2015 Update

This week in NEJM was published review on asthma–COPD overlap syndrome!

Approximately 1 in 12 people worldwide are affected by asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); once regarded as two distinct disease entities, these two conditions are now recognized as heterogeneous and often overlapping conditions. The term “asthma–COPD overlap syndrome” (ACOS) has been applied to the condition in which a person has clinical features of both asthma and COPD.

Full text for free download:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1411863

European COPD Coalition Call to Action - updated 2015

The European COPD Coalition calls for action and support from the EU decision makers to help fight the disease and reduce its financial, social and psychological impact  

Health policy decision- makers must support patients, their families, carers and the entire society impacted by the burden of the disease, by creating a framework programme that will be aimed at eliminating avoidable COPD incidence and premature death.

The European COPD Coalition’s Call to Action  seeks political impetus to put in place the right structure addressing all aspects of COPD. This framework should aim to improve the health and quality of life of European citizens, including persons at risk of, or affected by, COPD. Based on the common European values of universal healthcare, access to good quality care, equity and solidarity, and encouraging innovation, the COPD framework  should encompass health promotion, disease prevention, medical and psychological support, and the social and environmental aspects of the disease.

ECC Call to Action promotes 22 concrete measures to be put in place or supported by the European Union, in full cooperation with Member States, regulating bodies and stakeholders.

Alpha 1 Anti-trypsin week

Respiratory decade is pleased to recognize Alpha 1 Anti-trypsin week from September 13-19, 2015. 

Indeed a chance discovery by Dr. Carl Beril Laurell in 1962 revealed the absence of the Alpha-1 band in serum electrophoresis gels. Aided by further investigations by Dr. Eriksson the lack of the critical Alpha-1 anti-trypsin protein was noted in patients with emphysema.

Alpha-1 -anti-trypsin is the most prevalent potentially fatal genetic disorder of adult Caucasians in the United States, although all races can be affected. An estimated 25 million individuals carry deficient genes and over 100,000 Americans have severe Alpha-1 deficiency, but still sorry to say, less than 10% have been diagnosed. In contrast, other important respiratory diseases like cystic fibrosis affect 30,000 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis 128,000 patients. While effective treatment is available, much more research is needed to help patients with this condition and to cure it.

Patients and physicians should be aware of the clinical pulmonary presentations of A1A deficiency.

From two patient registries, 54% had emphysema, 72% had respiratory symptoms, 45% had chronic bronchitis and 35% have a diagnosis of asthma. Also, another important respiratory disease chronic bronchiectasis can occur in this population. It is extremely important to do testing for A1A deficiency because the clinical presentation does not distinguish A1A deficiency from typical non genetic types of COPD.

Alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency is an imbalance of neutrophil elastase, an important enzyme released in the lung and the protein A1A which provides protection from the elastase and prevents it from injuring the lung.  Prescreening for A1A deficiency is available from a number of providers. The A1A Foundation provides free kits for testing which can be sent to either the A1A testing center at the University of Florida or the Alpha-1 Registry at Medical University of South Carolina. Please remember that the disease, A1A deficiency can affect all ages ranging from severe biliary disease in children to emphysema, bronchiectasis, and chronic liver disease in adults. It is an extremely important disease that has the potential for treatment with replacement therapy for lung disease and exciting new therapies are being tested for liver involvement. Hence, it is imperative to know your diagnosis and be informed as much as possible about your condition.