- Center on Health Equity & Access
- Clinical
- Health Care Cost
- Health Care Delivery
- Insurance
- Policy
- Technology
- Value-Based Care
Dr Don Sin Describes Promising COPD Biomarkers
Blood eosinophil count is a promising biomarker and example of the pathway toward precision medicine in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said Don Sin, MD, FRCP, MPH, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of British Columbia and head of the Centre of Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’s Hospital.
Blood eosinophil count is a promising biomarker and example of the pathway toward precision medicine in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said Don Sin, MD, FRCP, MPH, a professor of respiratory medicine at the University of British Columbia and head of the Centre of Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul’s Hospital.
Transcript
What are some promising biomarkers that are being studied for COPD?
One that should be implemented clinically is blood eosinophil count. Eosinophils have been traditionally linked with asthma, but it is now very clear, even in COPD, that individuals with elevated blood eosinophil count—which can be done very, very quickly and cheaply in most laboratories around the world—those with elevated eosinophil count will respond better to inhaled corticosteroids and those with lower eosinophil count will not and inhaled corticosteroids can be restrained in that subpopulation. I think that is a very, very promising biomarker and example of the pathway towards precision medicine in COPD.
There are other clinical examples, like who to give oxygen therapy. We now know that if we do a simple oximetry reading and show that an individual has resting hypoxia, they will do much better with supplemental oxygen. But if they are only hypoxic with exertion, then they won't. That's another example of precision medicine. We wouldn't give a supplement option to all hypoxic patients, only those who demonstrate hypoxia at rest and for 24 hours.
Higher Life’s Essential 8 Scores Associated With Reduced COPD Risk
November 21st 2024Higher Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) scores, especially those reflecting lower nicotine exposure and better sleep health, are inversely associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk, emphasizing the importance of cardiovascular health (CVH) in disease prevention.
Read More
A Pulmonologist on Why You Should Think About Respiratory Health and the Lungs
November 16th 2021On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with MeiLan K. Han, MD, MS, the author of a book released this month called Breathing Lessons: A Doctor’s Guide to Lung Health. Han, a pulmonologist, gives an inside tour of the lungs and how they work, zooms out to examine the drivers of poor respiratory health, and addresses policy changes that are needed to improve lung health.
Listen
Interstitial Lung Abnormalities in Patients With COPD Linked to Cancer, Heart Failure Risks
October 23rd 2024Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are linked to lower lung adenocarcinoma rates but higher rates of other cancers and heart failure.
Read More
Ineligibility, Limitations to PR Uptake in Patients With AECOPD
October 15th 2024Two posters at the CHEST 2024 annual meeting revealed that 18% of eligible patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) participated in post-discharge pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), with ineligibility significantly limiting uptake.
Read More
