Inhaled corticosteroids and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are widely used in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, ICS are associated with an increased risk of adverse effects.We aimed to determine whether an association between a lower respiratory tract culture with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and increasing ICS dosing in patients with COPD exists.

DESIGN

An observational cohort study of outpatients with COPD in Denmark between 2010 and 2018.ICS exposure was categorised into four groups based on average daily consumption 1 year prior to inclusion: no use, low ICS dose (≤400 µg), moderate ICS dose (400-800 µg) and high ICS dose (>800 µg). Dose-response relationship was investigated by a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS

Of the total 22 689 patients, 459 had lower respiratory tract cultures positive for S. maltophilia. The HR of S. maltophilia increased with increasing daily ICS dose: low ICS dose HR 2.6 (95% CI 1.6 to 4.0), moderate ICS dose HR 3.0 (95% CI 1.9 to 4.6) and high ICS dose HR 5.7 (95% CI 3.8 to 8.5).

CONCLUSIONS

We found that ICS was associated with a high, dose-dependent increased hazard of S. maltophilia in outpatients with COPD. High dose users had a nearly six times increased hazard compared with non-users of ICS. When appropriate, attempts at de-escalating ICS treatment should be made.

Targeted AntiBiotics for Chronic pulmonary diseases (TARGET ABC): can targeted antibiotic therapy improve the prognosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, and asthma? A multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial

BACKGROUND

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is seen in chronic pulmonary disease and is associated with exacerbations and poor long-term prognosis. However, evidence-based guidelines for the management and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection in chronic, non-cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary disease are lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate whether targeted antibiotic treatment against P. aeruginosa can reduce exacerbations and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-CF bronchiectasis, and asthma.

METHODS

This study is an ongoing multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial. A total of 150 patients with COPD, non-CF bronchiectasis or asthma, and P. aeruginosa-positive lower respiratory tract samples will be randomly assigned with a 1:1 ratio to either no antibiotic treatment or anti-pseudomonal antibiotic treatment with intravenous beta-lactam and oral ciprofloxacin for 14 days. The primary outcome, analyzed with two co-primary endpoints, is (i) time to prednisolone and/or antibiotic requiring exacerbation or death, in the primary or secondary health sector, within days 20-365 from study allocation and (ii) days alive and without exacerbation within days 20-365 from the study allocation.

DISCUSSION

This trial will determine whether targeted antibiotics can benefit future patients with chronic, non-CF pulmonary disease and P. aeruginosa infection in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality, thus optimizing therapeutic approaches in this large group of chronic patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03262142 . Registered on August 25, 2017.

Effect of different corticosteroid regimes for hospitalised patients with exacerbated COPD: pooled analysis of individual participant data from the REDUCE and CORTICO-COP trials

Background

Systemic corticosteroid administration for severe acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) reduces the duration of hospital stays. Corticosteroid-sparing regimens have showed non-inferiority to higher accumulated dose regimens regarding re-exacerbation risk in patients with AECOPD. However, it remains unclear whether 14-day or 2–5-day regimens would result in shorter admission durations and changes in mortality risk. We explored this by analysing the number of days alive and out of hospital based on two randomised controlled trials with different corticosteroid regimens.

Methods

We pooled individual patient data from the two available multicentre randomised trials on corticosteroid-sparing regimens for AECOPD: the REDUCE (n = 314) and CORTICO-COP (n = 318) trials. In the 14-day regimen group, patients were older, fewer patients received pre-treatment with antibiotics and more patients received pre-treatment with systemic corticosteroids. Patients randomly allocated to the 14-day and 2–5-day regimens were compared, with adjustment for baseline differences.

Results

The number of days alive and out of hospital within 14 days from recruitment was higher for the 2–5 day regimen group (mean 8.4 days; 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.0–8.8) than the 14-day regimen patient group (4.2 days; 95% CI3.4–4.9; p < 0.001). The 14-day AECOPD group had longer hospital stays (mean difference, 5.4 days [standard error ± 0.6]; p < 0.0001) and decreased likelihood of discharge within 30 days (hazard ratio [HR] 0.5; 95% CI 0.4–0.6; p < 0.0001). Comparing the 14-day regimen and the 2–5 day regimen group showed no differences in the composite endpoint ‘death or ICU admission’ (odds ratio [OR] 1.4; 95% CI 0.8–2.3; p = 0.15), new or aggravated hypertension (OR 1.5; 95% CI 0.9–2.7; p = 0.15), or mortality risk (HR 0.8; 95% CI 0.4–1.5; p = 0.45) during the 6-month follow-up period.

Conclusion

14-day corticosteroid regimens were associated with longer hospital stays and fewer days alive and out of hospital within 14 days, with no apparent 6-month benefit regarding death or admission to ICU in COPD patients. Our results favour 2–5 day regimens for treating COPD exacerbations. However, prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12931-021-01745-5.

Proactive Prophylaxis With Azithromycin and HydroxyChloroquine in Hospitalised Patients With COVID-19 (ProPAC-COVID): A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Objectives

The aim of this randomised GCP-controlled trial is to clarify whether combination therapy with the antibiotic azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine via anti-inflammation/immune modulation, antiviral efficacy and pre-emptive treatment of supra-infections can shorten hospitalisation duration for patients with COVID-19 (measured as "days alive and out of hospital" as the primary outcome), reduce the risk of non- invasive ventilation, treatment in the intensive care unit and death.

Trial design

This is a multi-centre, randomised, Placebo-controlled, 2-arm ratio 1:1, parallel group double-blind study.

Participants

226 participants are recruited at the trial sites/hospitals, where the study will take place in Denmark: Aalborg, Bispebjerg, Gentofte, Herlev, Hillerød, Hvidovre, Odense and Slagelse hospitals.

Inclusion criteria:

• Patient admitted to Danish emergency departments, respiratory medicine departments or internal medicine departments

• Age≥ 18 years

• Hospitalized ≤48 hours

• Positive COVID-19 test / diagnosis during the hospitalization (confirmed).

• Men or non-fertile women. Fertile women* must not be pregnant, i.e. negative pregnancy test must be available at inclusion

• Informed consent signed by the patient

*Defined as after menarche and until postmenopausal (no menstruation for 12 months)

Exclusion criteria:

• At the time of recruitment, the patient uses >5 LO2/min (equivalent to 40% FiO2 if measured)

• Known intolerance/allergy to azithromycin or hydroxychloroquine or hypersensitivity to quinine or 4-aminoquinoline derivatives

• Neurogenic hearing loss

• Psoriasis

• Retinopathy

• Maculopathy

• Visual field changes

• Breastfeeding

• Severe liver diseases other than amoebiasis (INR> 1.5 spontaneously)

• Severe gastrointestinal, neurological and hematological disorders (investigator-assessed)

• eGFR <45 ml/min/1.73 m2

• Clinically significant cardiac conduction disorders/arrhythmias or prolonged QTc interval (QTc (f) of> 480/470 ms).

• Myasthenia gravis

• Treatment with digoxin*

• Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

• Porphyria

• Hypoglycaemia (Blood glucose at any time since hospitalization of <3.0 mmol/L)

• Severe mental illness which significantly impedes cooperation

• Severe linguistic problems that significantly hinder cooperation

• Treatment with ergot alkaloids

*The patient must not be treated with digoxin for the duration of the intervention. For atrial fibrillation/flutter, select according to the Cardiovascular National Treatment Guide (NBV): Calcium antagonist, Beta blocker, direct current (DC) conversion or amiodarone. In case of urgent need for digoxin treatment (contraindication for the aforementioned equal alternatives), the test drug should be paused, and ECG should be taken daily.

Intervention and comparator

Control group:

The control group will receive the standard treatment + placebo for both types of intervention medication at all times. If part or all the intervention therapy being investigated becomes standard treatment during the study, this may also be offered to the control group.

Intervention group:

The patients in the intervention group will also receive standard care. Immediately after randomisation to the intervention group, the patient will begin treatment with:

Azithromycin:

Day 1-3: 500 mg x 1

Day 4-15: 250 mg x 1

If the patient is unable to take the medication orally by themselves, the medication will, if possible, be administered by either stomach-feeding tube, or alternatively, temporary be changed to clarithromycin 500 mg x 2 (this only in agreement with either study coordinator Pradeesh Sivapalan or principal investigator Jens-Ulrik Stæhr Jensen). This will also be done in the control group if necessary. The patient will switch back to azithromycin when possible.

Hydroxychloroquine:

Furthermore, the patient will be treated with hydroxychloroquine as follows:

Day 1-15: 200 mg x 2

Main outcomes

• Number of days alive and discharged from hospital within 14 days (summarises both whether the patient is alive and discharged from hospital) ("Days alive and out of hospital")

Randomisation

The sponsor (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Trial Network, COP:TRIN) generates a randomisation sequence. Randomisation will be in blocks of unknown size and the final allocation will be via an encrypted website (REDCap). There will be stratification for age (>70 years vs. <=70 years), site of recruitment and whether the patient has any of the following chronic lung diseases: COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease (Yes vs. No).

Blinding (masking)

Participants and study personnel will both be blinded, i.e. neither will know which group the participant is allocated to.

Numbers to be randomised (sample size)

This study requires 226 patients randomised 1:1 with 113 in each group.

Trial Status

Protocol version 1.8, from April 16, 2020. Recruitment is ongoing (first patient recruited April 6, 2020; final patient expected to be recruited October 31, 2020).

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04322396 (registered March 26, 2020)

Full protocol

The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol.

The study protocol has been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines (Additional file 2).

Elevated blood eosinophils in acute COPD exacerbations: better short- and long-term prognosis

Background: Elevated eosinophils in COPD is recognized as a potential risk factor for exacerbations, but the prognostic role of elevated eosinophils during exacerbations of COPD is unclear. We investigated short-term and long-term outcomes in patients with exacerbations of eosinophilic phenotype, compared with patients with low blood eosinophils. Methods: A single-centre retrospective study of all patients admitted for a COPD exacerbation to Bispebjerg University Hospital in 2010-2011 was established by linking inpatient data with national patient and prescription registries, with a three-year follow-up period. Elevated eosinophils were defined as a blood eosinophil level at admission of ≥0.30 × 10⁹ cells/L. Results: A total of 811 patients were included; 13.2% had an eosinophilic exacerbation. The eosinophilic group had less need for non-invasive ventilation, shorter inpatient stay, and lower in-hospital mortality, compared to the non-eosinophilic group. However, the eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic groups showed similar risks of readmission (incidence rate ratio[95], 0.99 [0.73-1.36]). Three-year mortality was high in both groups, although lower in the eosinophilic group (40% vs. 54%, p = 0.006). Conclusions: COPD exacerbations in patients with high blood eosinophil have a better short-term prognosis without higher risk of subsequent exacerbation. Eosinophilic exacerbations have also a lower three-year mortality.

A systematic evaluation of the diagnostic criteria for COPD and exacerbations used in randomised controlled trials on the management of COPD exacerbations

Clinical trials evaluating the management of #AECOPD use different diagnostic criteria for COPD and exacerbations, limiting their comparability http://bit.ly/33eIUUX.

Eosinophil-guided corticosteroid therapy in patients admitted to hospital with COPD exacerbation (CORTICO-COP): a multicentre, randomised, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial

BACKGROUND

Treatment with systemic corticosteroids in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with debilitating adverse effects. Therefore, strategies to reduce systemic corticosteroid exposure are urgently required and might be offered by a personalised biomarker-guided approach to treatment. The aim of this study was to determine whether an algorithm based on blood eosinophil counts could safely reduce systemic corticosteroid exposure in patients admitted to hospital with acute exacerbations of COPD.

METHODS

We did a multicentre, randomised, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial at the respiratory departments of three different university-affiliated hospitals in Denmark. Eligible participants were patients included within 24h of admission to the participating sites, aged at least 40 years, with known airflow limitation (defined as a post-bronchodilator FEV₁/forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio ≤0·70) and a specialist-verified diagnosis of COPD, who were designated to start on systemic corticosteroids by the respiratory medicine physician on duty. We randomly assigned patients (1:1) to either eosinophil-guided therapy or standard therapy with systemic corticosteroids. Both investigators and patients were aware of the group assignment. All patients received 80 mg of intravenous methylprednisolone on the first day. The eosinophil-guided group were from the second day given 37·5 mg of prednisolone oral tablet daily (for a maximum of up to 4 days) on days when their blood eosinophil count was at least 0·3 × 10⁹ cells per L. On days when the eosinophil count was lower, prednisolone was not administered. If a patient was discharged during the treatment period, a treatment based on the last measured eosinophil count was prescribed for the remaining days within the 5-day period (last observation carried forward). The control group received 37·5 mg of prednisolone tablets daily from the second day for 4 days. The primary outcome was the number of days alive and out of hospital within 14 days after recruitment, assessed by intention to treat (ITT). Secondary outcomes included treatment failure at day 30 (ie, recurrence of acute exacerbation of COPD resulting in emergency room visits, admission to hospital, or need to intensify pharmacological treatment), number of deaths on day 30, and duration of treatment with systemic corticosteroids. The non-inferiority margin was 1·2 days (SD 3·8). This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02857842, and was completed in January, 2019.

FINDINGS

Between Aug 3, 2016, and Sept 30, 2018, 159 patients in the eosinophil-guided group and 159 patients in the control group were included in the ITT analyses. There was no between-group difference for days alive and out of hospital within 14 days after recruitment: mean 8·9 days (95% CI 8·3-9·6) in the eosinophil-guided group versus 9·3 days (8·7-9·9) in the control group (absolute difference -0·4, 95% CI -1·3 to 0·5; p=0·34). Treatment failure at 30 days occurred in 42 (26%) of 159 patients in the eosinophil-guided group and 41 (26%) of 159 in the control group (difference 0·6%, 95% CI -9·0 to 10·3; p=0·90). At 30 days nine patients (6%) of 159 in the eosinophil-guided group and six (4%) of 159 in the control group had died (difference 1·9%, 95% CI -2·8 to 6·5; p=0·43). Median duration of systemic corticosteroid therapy was lower in the eosinophil-guided group: 2 days (IQR 1·0 to 3·0) compared with 5 days (5·0 to 5·0) in the control group, p<0·0001.

INTERPRETATION

Eosinophil-guided therapy was non-inferior compared with standard care for the number of days alive and out of hospital, and reduced the duration of systemic corticosteroid exposure, although we could not entirely exclude harm on some secondary outcome measures. Larger studies will help to determine the full safety profile of this strategy and its role in the management of COPD exacerbations.

FUNDING

The Danish Regions Medical Fund and the Danish Council for Independent Research.

Outcomes reported on the management of COPD exacerbations: a systematic survey of randomised controlled trials

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the management of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) report heterogeneous outcome measures, thus rendering their results incomparable, complicating their translation into clinical practice. As a first step in the development of a core outcome set that will aim to homogenise outcome measures in future RCTs, we assessed the outcomes reported in recent relevant RCTs and systematic reviews. We conducted a methodological systematic review (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ registration number CRD42016052437) of RCTs and systematic reviews on COPD exacerbation management indexed on Medline and PubMed during the last decade. We evaluated their methodology, specifically focusing on the reported outcome measures. Based on 123 RCTs and 38 systematic reviews, we found significant variability in the outcomes reported and in their definition. Mortality, which was assessed in 82% of the included trials, was the most frequently assessed outcome, followed by the rate of treatment success or failure (63%), adverse events (59%), health status, symptoms and quality of life (59%), lung function (47%), and duration of exacerbations (42%). The significant heterogeneity in the selection and definition of outcome measures in RCTs and systematic reviews limits the interpretability and comparability of their results, and warrants the development of a core outcome set for COPD exacerbations management.

[Treatment of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]

In 2012, The Danish Society of Respiratory Medicine gave birth to their most recent guideline regarding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Much has happened since, and in late 2017 an update has been published. Chapters have been deleted, and new ones added. The major alteration has been in the section concerning treatment with inhalation medication - now aiming at an easy stepwise up-titration of long-acting medicine as well as a guide of how to down-titrate inhaled corticosteroids. This review mainly focuses on how to treat stable COPD according to The Danish Society of Respiratory Medicine.

A multi-center randomized, controlled, open-label trial evaluating the effects of eosinophil-guided corticosteroid-sparing therapy in hospitalised patients with COPD exacerbations - The CORTICO steroid reduction in COPD (CORTICO-COP) study protocol

Background

The most commonly applied treatment for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a 5-day course of high-dose systemic corticosteroids. However, this treatment has not been shown to reduce mortality and can potentially have serious side effects.

Recent research has shown that, presumably, only a subgroup of COPD patients identifieable by blood eosinophil count benefit from a rescue course of prednisolone. By applying a biomarker-guided strategy, the aim of this study is to determine whether it is possible to reduce the use of systemic corticosteroids in AECOPD without influencing the outcome.

Methods

This is an ongoing prospective multicenter randomized controlled open label trial comprising 320 patients with AECOPD recruited from four hospitals in Denmark. The patients are randomized 1:1 to either standard care or eosinophil-guided corticosteroid-sparing therapy where prednisolone is not administered if the daily blood sampling reveals an eosinophil level below 0.3 × 10⁹ cells/L. The primary endpoint is length of hospital stay within 14 days after recruitment. The secondary endpoints are treatment failure, 30-day mortality rate, COPD related re-admission rate, change in FEV₁, and a number of adverse effect measures obtained within 3 months after the index hospitalisation date related to corticosteroid usage.

Discussion

This will be a very large RCT providing knowledge about the effectiveness of individualized biomarker-guided corticosteroid therapy in hospitalised patients with AECOPD.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02857842, 02-august-2016. Clinicaltrialregister.eu: Classification Code: 10,010,953, 02-marts-2016.

Vitamin D deficiency and airflow limitation in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing

BACKGROUND

Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has also been linked to comorbidities often present in COPD.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency was related specifically to airflow limitation or whether vitamin D deficiency was determined by conditions that frequently coexist with COPD: insulin resistance, hypertension, anaemia, obesity and hypercholesterolaemia.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional analysis, we included 897 subjects from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Subjects taking vitamin D supplements were excluded. Airflow limitation was defined as FEV1 /FVC < lower limit of normal. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxy vitamin D < 20 ng/mL) and possible determinants.

RESULTS

Vitamin D deficiency was not specific for subjects with airflow limitation. Body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.05, P < 0.03) and obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m(2)) (OR: 1.9, P < 0.002) were significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency in the adjusted multivariate regression analysis. Physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of vitamin D deficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

Airflow limitation was not an independent determinant of vitamin D deficiency. The effect of weight loss and increased physical activity on vitamin D levels should be investigated further in intervention studies.

Validation of the i-BODE index as a predictor of hospitalization and mortality in patients with COPD participating in pulmonary rehabilitation

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the value of the i-BODE index to predict hospital admission and to confirm its usefulness to predict mortality in a Danish population. The incremental shuttle walking test (ISWT) is widely used in the UK and Europe and previous work has examined the replacement of the 6MWT with the ISWT within the BODE index for predicting the prognosis of COPD (i-BODE). The 674 patients included in the analysis participated in a 7-week pulmonary rehabilitation program from 2002 to 2011. The National Health Services Central Register ascertained vital status and provided information on all hospital admissions. The mean follow-up period was 66 months (range 11-118 months). Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify factors that significantly predicted mortality and time to first hospital admission. The i-BODE index as well as body mass index, MRC dyspnea grade, and exercise capacity (ISWT) were significantly associated with all-cause mortality. The adjusted hazard ratio for death per one point increase in the i-BODE score was 1.28 (95% confidence interval 1.20 to 1.37). The i-BODE index was also a significant predictor of hospitalization, both for all causes and COPD exacerbation. Patients in the highest i-BODE quartile had a median time to first hospitalization of 17 months compared to 51 months for patients in the lowest quartile. The i-BODE index is a significant predictor of hospital admission and thus health care utilization, and also mortality.

High viral loads of human papillomavirus predict risk of invasive cervical carcinoma

High loads of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and HPV 18/45 increase the risk of developing invasive cervical carcinoma, revealing higher risk in percentiles of highest viral loads for HPV 16 (odds ratio (OR) 58.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 21.9–151.4) compared to HPV 18/45 (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.5–7.2). Thus, HPV load is a type-dependent risk marker for invasive carcinoma.

Lexical properties of the Boston Naming Test stimuli: age differences in word naming and lexical decision latency

Two experiments examined the lexical properties of the word representations of the Boston Naming Test (BNT; Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 1983) stimuli and whether these properties differentially influenced performance of young and older adults in a speeded word naming task and a lexical decision task. The lexical properties of the word representations examined were familiarity, number of letters, frequency of the word's occurrence, and number of syllables. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that the process of lexical access was similar in young and older adults and provided the first examination of lexical properties of the BNT stimuli in a speeded naming situation. The purpose of Experiment 2 was to reexamine the questions raised in Experiment 1 using a lexical decision task. The results of the analysis in Experiment 2 indicated that age was a significant predictor of performance on the lexical decision task. None of the other predictors contributed significantly to the regression equation.