Inhaled Long-acting Anticholinergics and Urinary Tract Infection in Individuals with COPD

The Impact of COPD in Trends of Urinary Tract Infection Hospitalizations in Spain, 2001-2018: A Population-Based Study Using Administrative Data

(1) Background: To examine trends in incidence and outcomes of urinary tract infections (UTIs) among men and women with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to identify the predictors for in-hospital mortality (IHM). (2) Methods: We included patients (aged ≥40 years) who were hospitalized with UTIs between 2001 and 2018. Data were collected from the Spanish National Hospital Discharge Database. (3) Results: We identified 748,458 UTI hospitalizations, 6.53% with COPD. The UTIs incidence increased over time. It was 1.55 times higher among men COPD patients than among non-COPD men (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.55; 95% CI 1.53-1.56). The opposite happened in women with COPD compared to non-COPD women (IRR 0.30; 95% CI 0.28-0.32). IHM was higher in men with COPD than non-COPD men (5.58% vs. 4.47%; p < 0.001) and the same happened in women (5.62% vs. 4.92%; p < 0.001). The risk of dying increased with age and comorbidity, but the urinary catheter was a protective factor among men (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.64-0.89). Multivariable analysis showed a significant reduction in the IHM over time for men and women with COPD. Suffering from COPD only increased the risk of IHM among men (OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.01-1.13). (4) Conclusions: The incidence of UTIs increased over time. Suffering COPD increased the risk of IHM among men, but not among women.

Pharmacology and Therapeutics of Bronchodilators Revisited

Bronchodilators remain the cornerstone of the treatment of airway disorders such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is therefore considerable interest in understanding how to optimize the use of our existing classes of bronchodilator and in identifying novel classes of bronchodilator drugs. However, new classes of bronchodilator have proved challenging to develop because many of these have no better efficacy than existing classes of bronchodilator and often have unacceptable safety profiles. Recent research has shown that optimization of bronchodilation occurs when both arms of the autonomic nervous system are affected through antagonism of muscarinic receptors to reduce the influence of parasympathetic innervation of the lung and through stimulation of β ₂-adrenoceptors (β ₂-ARs) on airway smooth muscle with β ₂-AR-selective agonists to mimic the sympathetic influence on the lung. This is currently achieved by use of fixed-dose combinations of inhaled long-acting β ₂-adrenoceptor agonists (LABAs) and long-acting muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists (LAMAs). Due to the distinct mechanisms of action of LAMAs and LABAs, the additive/synergistic effects of using these drug classes together has been extensively investigated. More recently, so-called "triple inhalers" containing fixed-dose combinations of both classes of bronchodilator (dual bronchodilation) and an inhaled corticosteroid in the same inhaler have been developed. Furthermore, a number of so-called "bifunctional drugs" having two different primary pharmacological actions in the same molecule are under development. This review discusses recent advancements in knowledge on bronchodilators and bifunctional drugs for the treatment of asthma and COPD. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Since our last review in 2012, there has been considerable research to identify novel classes of bronchodilator drugs, to further understand how to optimize the use of the existing classes of bronchodilator, and to better understand the role of bifunctional drugs in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Prevalence of Escherichia coli Resistant to Beta-Lactam Antibiotics among Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary tract infection (UTI), which is typically caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli), is an insufficiently recognized co-morbidity among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Adequate treatment can be complicated by resistance of the causative pathogen to beta-lactam antibiotics, which often produce beta-lactamase enzymes that destroy the antibiotic. The beta-lactamase family of enzymes is extremely diverse, including different types of enzyme and mutant forms. In this study, we analyzed 580 patients with COPD (236 females and 344 males) and thus found 218 patients with co-morbid UTIs, including 58 patients with UTI caused by E. coli (38 females and 20 males). We also investigated cases of uncomplicated symptomatic and asymptomatic UTI caused by E. coli and the presence of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics among those patients. The E. coli strains resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics were selected for their ability to grow on selective media, before DNA microarrays were applied for specific identification of three beta-lactamase gene types (i.e., TEM, SHV and CTX-M). Overall, 83% of E. coli strains responsible for UTIs in COPD patients carried extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes. The most prevalent were those producing CTX-M, with CTX-M-15 being predominant. The rare CTX-M-27 and TEM-15 genes were also detected in two samples. Three samples contained several extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes simultaneously (CTX-M-15 or CTX-M-14 plus SHV-5 or TEM-15). This high prevalence of resistant E. coli strains necessitates rational antibiotic selection when treating UTI to prevent COPD exacerbations. Additionally, antibiotic therapy should be aligned with and adapted to existing and potential COPD co-morbidities.