Good news about lung diseases

Prof. dr. Dr Dirkje Postma is a lung specialist and professor of respiratory pathophysiology at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). She is one of the world’s top researchers in the field of asthma and COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema).

Other and new medicines

Prof. dr. Dr Dirkje Postma: “People with asthma are given anti-inflammatories with bronchodilators. But even with that, 40 percent of asthma patients still have complaints. These are people with so-called uncontrolled asthma. We recently learned that this group often benefits from a long-acting bronchodilator, tiotropium, which until now has only been given to CODP patients.”

“We have also discovered that these people not only have problems with their large airways, but also with their small airways. The standard medicines against asthma do not penetrate there – the dust particles are too large. There are now products on the market that also into the small airways: ciclesonide, beclometasone and beclometasone/formoterol.They provide relief if your asthma is not controlled with the usual medication.At the moment they are only available for asthma patients, but they are being studied to see if they also help with COPD. “

Benefit for the patient: “Better lung function and fewer complaints.”

Flashes are preventable

“Flashes – periods when you cough so much that you feel short of breath and sick – are the worst periods for asthma and COPD patients. In addition, they cause permanent damage to the lungs, causing them to deteriorate further. Fortunately, such flare-ups with “These days, drugs are well preventable. It concerns substances such as salmeterol/fluticasone, formoterol/budesonide and tiotropium. The disadvantage is that you do not only have to take these drugs during the flare-ups, but always, otherwise the complaints will return.”

Benefit for the patient: “A better quality of life, better endurance, fewer courses of antibiotics or prednisone and fewer hospitalizations.”

One inhaler instead of three

“CODP patients often take two or three medicines that they have to take several times a day. They usually need several inhalers for that. Manufacturers are working hard to make the use of all those drugs easier and more convenient. combination inhaler for several drugs on the market, and longer-acting versions of well-known drugs (such as salmeterol, formoterol and tiotropium) that only need to be taken once a day are being developed, expected to be completed within four to five years .”

Benefit for the patient: “More freedom. You no longer have to deal with your illness all day long. Perhaps it will also become easier to take all medication at the right time: a better therapy compliance.”

Recover faster with an action plan

“The COPD action plan is a form of tailor-made guidance. Filling in a short questionnaire every week helps the patient to better recognize flare-ups and to do something about them in time, for example by calling the doctor. less chance of hospitalization, according to research by Jaap Trappenburg of Utrecht University. Not every patient is offered such an action plan, but you can ask the pulmonologist for it.”

Benefit for the patient: “More control over your complaints and faster recovery. Moreover, timely intervention in case of flare-ups helps to prevent long-term deterioration of the lungs.”

More attention for heart failure

“We have discovered that people with COPD have an increased risk of heart failure. In fact, one in four CODP patients suffers from it. Fortunately, GPs and specialists are becoming increasingly aware of this, so that complaints are dealt with in a timely manner. Research is also being carried out. into the usefulness of special rehabilitation programs for people with both COPD and heart failure, where adapted training with a physiotherapist and recognizing complaints are central. In any case, I advise people with COPD to have their heart function checked by their general practitioner and/or pulmonologist.”

Benefit for the patient: “Early detecting heart failure can prevent or at least postpone worse heart and lung complaints. Good treatment improves quality of life.”

“Now really quit smoking“

Prof. dr. Dr Dirkje Postma: “Smoking appears not only to increase your own risk of lung disease, but also the chance that your children and your grandchildren will suffer from it. This is due to the changes in the genetic material that are caused by smoking. good example by te quit smoking and encourage your children and grandchildren to do the same. This applies all the more to women, because they are – for reasons as yet unclear – extra sensitive to the development of many lung diseases.”