Clinical Benefits of Oscillometry in Respiratory Assessment

By América Torres Oscillometry is a non-invasive method to measure the mechanical properties of the respiratory system. This diagnostic tool enhances the valuable contributions of spirometry for the diagnosis, assessment, and monitoring of respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD.   In this article, we will discuss the clinical advantages of oscillometry as a complementary […]

Asthma: Exploring its Impactful Figures

By América Torres According to the GINA Guide 2019, asthma is estimated to affect 300 million people worldwide. In fact, it is one of the most common and costly diseases in the United States. It consists of diffuse inflammation of the airways caused by various stimuli, which cause a partial or completely reversible bronchoconstriction. Symptoms […]

The GINA Guide 2022: summary of the main updates for asthma management

By América Torres Picture: user21077551 / Feepik Keeping up with the latest advancements in the field of pulmonology is key for providing optimal care to patients, particularly those suffering from asthma. In this blog post, we make a summary of the recently updated 2022 Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Guide, highlighting key changes and advancements […]

ATS removes race and ethnicity from spirometry

By América Torres Photo: rawpixel.com/Freepik The ATS removes race and ethnicity when interpreting patients’ spirometry. This organization issued its official statement just weeks after the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease published its GOLD Report 2023, which still considers such factors.   The American Thoracic Society’s panel of authors remarked that the change was […]

2023 GOLD Report, summary of highlights

By América Torres Photo: Stefamerpik/Freepik The GOLD Report 2023 includes 387 new references, updates for the diagnosis and treatment of COPD, reclassifies patients into three groups, and makes changes to initial medications by patient group, among many other things.   We have prepared for you a summary of some of the main updates 2023 of […]

Relationship between decline in lung function and cardiovascular risk

By América Torres Photo Lifestyle memory / Freepik The decline in lung function begins around the age of 25: an annual FEV1 drop between 25 and 30 ml is considered normal. Among influencing factors we can include smoking, environmental and behavioral factors and genetics. While this is a well-known predictor of COPD and is associated […]

2022 GOLD Report, a summary 

By América Torres Photo Freepik We have prepared for you a summary of some of the key changes in the 2022 GOLD Report "Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease”. As you know, this document is reviewed annually and it is very extensive, so we have selected some of […]

Advantages of spirometry to treat asthma: why? when? how?

Although spirometry has proven to be very useful for researching and keeping under control chronic diseases, such as asthma, this diagnostic tool is underutilized in many countries.  In this article we will highlight some of the many advantages of performing spirometry tests in patients with asthma. Along this text we will answer briefly the questions […]

Impact of COVID-19 on the fight against tuberculosis

The COVID-19 pandemic garnered attention of health matters, which alarmingly reversed the progress that had been made in providing essential services to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis.  COVID-19 is a disease that aggravates the condition of patients with other comorbidities and, of course, tuberculosis is one of them. The coronavirus reactivates latent tuberculosis and exacerbates […]

Risks of underestimating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in primary care

By Claudio López Bruzual MD The use of clinical signs as a sole guide to assess the severity of respiratory conditions is very limited. This study shows that performing spirometry whenever patients report dyspnea makes a big difference in clinical outcomes.   Photo: Freepik Approximately 1-4% of primary care office visits are due to dyspnea. […]