Use of a Digital Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Respiratory Tracker in a Primary Care Setting: A Feasibility Study

Are older adults considered in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mobile health research? A scoping review

BACKGROUND

The use of mobile health (mHealth) for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is rapidly growing and may help address the complex respiratory care needs of our ageing population. However, little is currently known about how airways mHealth is developed and used among older adults (≥65 years).

OBJECTIVE

To identify if and how older adults with asthma and COPD have been incorporated across the mHealth research cycle.

METHODS

We searched Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials for studies pertaining to the development or evaluation of asthma and COPD mHealth for adults published after 2010. Study, participant and mHealth details, including any considerations of older age, were extracted, synthesised and charted.

RESULTS

A total of 334 studies of 191 mHealth tools were identified. Adults ≥65 years old were included in 33.3% of asthma mHealth studies and 85.3% of COPD studies. Discussions of older age focused on barriers to technology use. Methodologic and/or analytic considerations of older age were mostly absent throughout the research cycle. Among the 28 instances quantitative age-related analyses were detailed, 12 described positive mHealth use and satisfaction outcomes in older adults versus negative or equivocal outcomes.

CONCLUSION

We identified an overall lack of consideration for older age throughout the airways mHealth research cycle, even among COPD mHealth studies that predominantly included older adults. We also found a contrast between the perceptions of how older age might negatively influence mHealth use and available quantitative evaluations. Future airways mHealth research must better integrate the needs and concerns of older adults.

Analyzing the Treatment of Patients with Acute Exacerbation of COPD with the Aid of Intelligent Diagnosis Method

To observe the clinical efficacy of heat clearing phlegm mixture combined with vibration sputum excretion instrument in the treatment of patients with acute exacerbation of COPD with phlegm-heat obstructing lung, 90 patients with acute exacerbation of COPD are selected and divided into three groups, namely, control group, traditional medicine group, and combined group: the control group (conventional western medicine treatment), traditional medicine group (heat clearing and phlegm mixture), and combined group (heat clearing and phlegm mixture + vibratory sputum excretion instrument) with 30 cases each. All the patients in the three groups were given conventional western medicine treatment. On this basis, the traditional medicine group was given the oral administration of the heat-clearing and phlegm-clearing mixture, and the combined group was given the oral administration of the heat-clearing and phlegm-clearing mixture and the vibratory sputum discharge apparatus. Machine learning is used to classify the patients into three groups based on the characteristics of their biomarkers, physical attributes, and medical history. The TCM syndrome score, blood gas analysis, lung function, and inflammatory indexes of the three groups were compared. TCM syndrome scores of the three groups were all lower than before; both the combined group and the TCM group were better than the control group ( $P$  < 0.05). Although the improvement degree of the combined group was better than that of the TCM group, the difference was not statistically significant ( $P$  > 0.05). TCM syndrome effect is seen to be 96.55% in the combined group, 89.29% in the TCM group, and 63.33% in the control group. Blood gas analysis is also performed; PO2 and PCO2 of the three groups were significantly improved after treatment. The combination group was superior to the traditional medicine group and the control group ( $P$  < 0.05), and the traditional medicine group was superior to the control group ( $P$  < 0.05). It is concluded that the combination of heat clearing phlegm mixture and vibration sputum excretion instrument can improve TCM syndrome score, CAT score, blood gas analysis, lung function, and inflammatory indicators in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD with phlegm-heat obstructing lung.

COVID-19 infection in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: From pathophysiology to therapy. Mini-review

INTRODUCTION

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are a vulnerable group in terms of the outcome of coronavirus infection in relation to their disease or its treatment, with a higher risk of developing serious complications compared to the healthy population.

AIM

The aim of our summary study is to review the background and health outcomes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and COVID-19 infection in the presence of both diseases.

METHODS

Review of national and international medical databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, and MOB) with keywords COPD, COVID-19, disease risk, cause, prevention, complications, and prognosis.

RESULTS

Meta-analyses show that COPD is one of the most common underlying conditions in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Such patients are five times more likely to develop a serious complication due to oxygen supply problems therefore they are more likely to be admitted to intensive care units, where they may require mechanical ventilation. In the case of underlying COPD, the usual care plan for COVID-19 infection should be followed, as well as all public health recommendations to minimize the risk of developing and transmitting COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

Coronavirus infection is especially dangerous for COPD patients, who are much more likely to become seriously ill, so increased surveillance, prevention, early detection, adequate treatment and rehabilitation of the disease group are of paramount importance.