Jung-Wan Yoo

Comparison between cryptogenic organizing pneumonia and connective tissue disease-related organizing pneumonia

OBJECTIVE Although the overall prognosis of CTD-related interstitial pneumonia is better than that of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, the prognosis of CTD-related organizing pneumonia (CTD-OP) was suggested to be worse than that of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical features and outcome of the two conditions. METHODS A retrospective review of 100 patients diagnosed by lung biopsy as having organizing pneumonia patterns (CTD, 24; COP, 76) at three tertiary referral centres. RESULTS Underlying CTDs were mostly RA, SS and PM/DM. The median follow-up period was 43.6 months. There were no differences in initial symptoms, lung function or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid findings except significantly more females (83.3 vs. 59.2%, P = 0.048) in the CTD-OP than in the COP group. Over 80% of the patients in both the groups improved. However, complete recovery rate was lower in CTD-OP (20.8%) than in COP (46.1%; P = 0.028) with a tendency towards higher recurrence rate in CTD-OP (40.0 vs 20.3%; P = 0.072). There was no significant difference in the frequency of rapid progression or overall survival between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS The clinical features and prognosis of CTD-OP are similar to COP. However, lower complete recovery rate with a tendency towards higher recurrence rate in CTD-OP compared with COP suggest the need for closer follow-up in patients with CTD-OP.

Study Design and Outcomes of Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) Cohort Study

Background The Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) Cohort Study is a prospective longitudinal study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, or other unclassified obstructive lung diseases. It was designed to develop new classification models and biomarkers that predict clinically relevant outcomes for patients with obstructive lung diseases. Methods Patients over 18 years old who have chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitations or bronchial hyper-responsiveness were enrolled at 17 centers in South Korea. After a baseline visit, the subjects were followed up every 3 months for various assessments. Results From June 2005 to October 2013, a total of 477 subjects (433 [91%] males; 381 [80%] diagnosed with COPD) were enrolled. Analyses of the KOLD Cohort Study identified distinct phenotypes in patients with COPD, and predictors of therapeutic responses and exacerbations as well as the factors related to pulmonary hypertension in COPD. In addition, several genotypes were associated with radiological phenotypes and therapeutic responses among Korean COPD patients. Conclusion The KOLD Cohort Study is one of the leading long-term prospective longitudinal studies investigating heterogeneity of the COPD and is expected to provide new insights for pathogenesis and the long-term progression of COPD.

Risk factors for 1-year relapse of pulmonary tuberculosis treated with a 6-month daily regimen

BACKGROUND We aimed to identify the 1-year relapse rate and risk factors for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) treated with a 6-month daily regimen. METHODS A total of 317 patients with pan-susceptible pulmonary TB who completed a 6-month daily course of treatment [2HRZ(E)/4HR(E)] were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS The mean age was 50.0 ± 16.8 years and men were predominant (61.2%). All of 137 adults tested for HIV were negative. Six (1.9%) cases relapsed within one year. Relapse rate was higher in patients with a positive culture after 2 months of treatment (10.0%, p = 0.049) and in patients with both a positive culture after 2 months of treatment and cavitation on initial chest radiograph (18.2%, p = 0.015), whereas relapse rate in patients with cavitation alone was comparable to that of the total population (2.7%). Among various risk factors known to increase risk of relapse, the combined variable of cavitation and positive culture at 2 months (OR = 15.56, 95% CI 2.56-98.71, p = 0.003) was only associated with increased relapse rate in a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Even with a 6-month daily treatment regimen throughout the intensive and continuation phases, the relapse rate was unacceptably high in patients with both a positive culture at 2 months of treatment and cavitation on baseline chest radiography. Intensification of treatment, such as an extension of treatment duration, should be considered in this category of patients.

Mycobacterial diseases developed during anti-tumour necrosis factor-α therapy

Nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) disease and tuberculosis (TB) develop during anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α therapy. We compared clinical characteristics and outcomes between the two diseases. A total of 1165 patients were screened for TB and treated with TNF-α antagonists from July 2004 to July 2013 for the following conditions: inflammatory bowel disease (n = 422), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 320), and ankylosing spondylitis (n = 389). TB and NTM disease were diagnosed at baseline screening in four and three patients, respectively, and developed during anti-TNF-α therapy in 19 and six patients, respectively. The incidence rate of TB and NTM disease was 747.7 per 100 000 and 238.2 per 100 000 person-years, respectively. Patients with NTM disease were older, with a greater proportion of females. All cases of NTM disease involved the lung, with rheumatoid arthritis (83.3%) being the most frequent underlying disease. The most common radiological feature was consolidation in NTM disease, and honeycombing was present in two rheumatoid arthritis patients with NTM disease. The most common pathogen was Mycobacterium intracellulare (n = 3) followed by Mycobacterium avium (n = 2). Both the NTM and TB group showed favourable outcomes. The clinical characteristics differed between NTM disease and TB that developed on anti-TNF-α agents, but clinical outcomes were favourable in both diseases. Clinical characteristics differ between nontuberculous mycobacterial disease and TB that develop on anti-TNF-α agents http://ow.ly/xSQ0o

Incidence, characteristics, and treatment outcomes of mycobacterial diseases in transplant recipients.

The incidence, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes of tuberculosis (TB) and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) disease developed after transplantation (TPL) in transplant recipients were investigated retrospectively. Between 1996 and 2013, 7342 solid‐organ transplantation and 1266 hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were performed at a tertiary referral center in South Korea. Among them, TB and NTM disease developed in 130 and 22 patients, respectively. The overall incidence of TB was 257.4 cases/100 000 patient‐years (95% confidence interval [CI], 215.1–305.7) and that of NTM disease was 42.7 cases/100 000 patient‐years (95% CI, 26.8–64.7). The median interval from organ TPL to the development of mycobacterial disease was 8.5 months (95% CI, 6.3–11.4) in recipients with TB patients and 24.2 months (95% CI, 13.5–55.7) in those with NTM, respectively. Among NTM patients, Mycobacterium avium–intracellulare complex was the most common causative organism, and nodular bronchiectatic type (77.8%) was the most frequent radiologic feature. Favorable treatment outcome was achieved in 83.7% (95% CI, 76.4–89.1) and 68.8% (95% CI, 44.4–85.8) of TB and NTM patients, respectively (P = 0.166). In conclusion, the overall incidence of TB was higher than that of NTM disease in transplant recipients and treatment outcomes were favorable in both drug‐susceptible TB and NTM patients.

Clinical implications of right ventricular dysfunction in patients with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism: Short- and long-term clinical outcomes

PURPOSE Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) has been found to have a negative impact on the short-term prognosis of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). However, the long-term prognosis of such patients has not been well defined. We evaluated the effect of RVD on short- and long-term mortality in Korean patients with PE. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively assessed 180 patients with PE who underwent transthoracic echocardiography to evaluate RVD between January 2004 and December 2008. Patients were categorized as hemodynamically stable without RVD (stable without RVD, n = 70), hemodynamically stable with RVD (stable with RVD, n = 74), or hemodynamically unstable with RVD (unstable with RVD, n = 36). The clinical courses of all patients were followed up in-hospital and after discharge. RESULTS Nineteen patients (10.5%) died during hospitalization, with the unstable with RVD group showing the highest rate of in-hospital mortality (27.8%, P < .05) and PE-related deaths (16.7%, P < .05), but no difference in these parameters was noted between the other 2 groups. Multivariate analysis showed that older age and hemodynamic instability were independent risk factors for poor in-hospital outcomes. Eleven patients died after discharge. Multivariate analysis showed that older age, immobilization, and malignancy were independent predictors of long-term mortality. CONCLUSION Right ventricular dysfunction without hemodynamic instability was not associated with short- or long-term mortality of patients with PE.

A combination of early warning score and lactate to predict intensive care unit transfer of inpatients with severe sepsis/septic shock

Background/Aims The modified early warning score (MEWS) is used to predict patient intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality. Lactate (LA) in the blood lactate (BLA) is measured to evaluate disease severity and treatment efficacy in patients with severe sepsis/septic shock. The usefulness of a combination of MEWS and BLA to predict ICU transfer in severe sepsis/septic shock patients is unclear. We evaluated whether use of a combination of MEWS and BLA enhances prediction of ICU transfer and mortality in hospitalized patients with severe sepsis/septic shock. Methods Patients with severe sepsis/septic shock who were screened or contacted by a medical emergency team between January 2012 and August 2012 were enrolled at a university-affiliated hospital with ~2,700 beds, including 28 medical ICU beds. Results One hundred patients were enrolled and the rate of ICU admittance was 38%. MEWS (7.37 vs. 4.85) and BLA concentration (5 mmol/L vs. 2.19 mmol/L) were significantly higher in patients transferred to ICU than those in patients treated in general wards. The combination of MEWS and BLA was more accurate than MEWS alone in terms of ICU transfer (C-statistics: 0.898 vs. 0.816, p = 0.019). The 28-day mortality rate was 19%. MEWS was the only factor significantly associated with 28-day mortality rate (odds ratio, 1.462; 95% confidence interval, 1.122 to 1.905; p = 0.005). Conclusions The combination of MEWS and BLA may enhance prediction of ICU transfer in patients with severe sepsis/septic shock.