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Biomedical subjects

D P Joyce

Publications and source records attributed to D P Joyce.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Psychological functioning and quality of life in lung transplant candidates and recipients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychological functioning and quality of life (QOL) of lung transplant candidates and recipients. METHODS: The following measures were completed by 36 lung transplant candidates (the pretransplant group [PRE]) and 73 recipients (the posttransplant group [POST]): the Rand-36 Item Health Survey 1.0 (RAND-36), visual analog scale of overall QOL (OQOL), Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI), Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Body Cathexis Scale (BC). RESULTS: Compared to the PRE, POST patients had significantly better scores on the following measures: RAND-36 total, physical health, role limitations due to physical health, general health, vitality, and social functioning subscales (all p < 0.0001); visual analog scale of OQOL (p < 0.0001); BSI (p < 0.05); BC (p < 0.05); HAD anxiety (p < 0.05) and depression (p < 0.0001); and RSES (p < 0.05). Despite better scores, some areas did not differ between the PRE and the POST, and many patients continued to experience impairments in psychological functioning. Specifically, the RAND-36 emotional health and role limitations due to emotional health subscale scores did not differ between the PRE and the POST and they remained lower than published norms. A significant proportion of patients in both groups (44% of PRE patients and 28% of POST patients) had borderline or clinical levels of anxiety (ie, the HAD). Finally, PRE and POST mean scores were significantly lower than published norms on the RSES (p < 0.05) and the body image scale of the DSFI (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although lung transplant recipients have better general, physical, and psychological health than their pretransplant counterparts, the present research suggests that both groups experience impairment in several areas of psychological functioning. Future research into the QOL of the lung transplant population should be aimed at recognizing, intervening, and improving patients' psychological and emotional well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

The placebo effect in asthma drug therapy trials: a meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis of randomized controlled asthma drug therapy trials published in the English literature from January 1991 to June 1995 was performed to estimate the magnitude and direction of the placebo effect in stable ambulatory asthmatic patients. Among placebo groups, the mean absolute increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), weighted for sample size and variance, was 0.11 L/min, and the mean percent increase in FEV1 was 4.81%. The corresponding placebo group changes in peak expiratory flow (PEF) were in an opposite direction to those of FEV1; there was a mean absolute decrease of 2.24 L/min, and a mean percent decrease of 4.21%. Changes for active treatment groups were greater in magnitude. However, there were no statistically significant differences in mean changes comparing the placebo groups to the treatment groups, for any of the outcome measures. Mean increases in PEF and FEV1 exceeded 10% in 5 of 33 placebo groups, as compared to 13 of 33 active treatment groups. In conclusion, in well-designed long-term drug therapy studies in stable asthmatics the pooled placebo effect is small but measurable, with FEV1 and PEF showing different directions of response. Moreover, a modest number of patients receiving placebo have changes in pulmonary function that might be interpreted as clinically significant.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Use of inhaled medications and urgent care services. Study of Canadian asthma patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine asthma patients' patterns of disease and knowledge of asthma. DESIGN: Telephone survey of patients with diagnosed asthma. SETTING: Residences in 10 Canadian provinces. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with asthma diagnosed by a doctor: 829 men and women with a mean age of 38 +/- 7 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Classes of asthma medications, patterns of use, frequency and severity of asthma symptoms use of emergency departments and urgent medical services, participation in asthma education programs, presence of environmental triggers, and knowledge of asthma pathophysiology and treatment. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-six patients (55%) reported daily symptoms of asthma; 431 patients (52%) used inhaled beta 2-agonists daily. Only 340 patients (41%) used inhaled corticosteroids (IC), and many used them irregularly. A total of 579 (72%) respondents reported no unscheduled visits to a family physician for worsening asthma, but one third of patients had been to an emergency department for uncontrolled asthma in the last 5 years, and most of these visits had occurred during the last year. As to knowledge, 406 patients (49%) disagreed with the statement that asthma is a lifelong condition that cannot be cured. Among IC users, only 101 (30%) knew that IC reduced airway inflammation; among beta 2-agonist users, only 33% agreed that beta 2-agonists opened the bronchial tubes. Two hundred forty patients (29%) reported being current cigarette smokers, and 381 (46%) reported having pets at home. CONCLUSIONS: Daily symptoms and daily use of beta 2-agonists are common among Canadian asthma patients, and this is in excess of what is considered acceptable by current asthma care guidelines. Underuse of IC, inadequate knowledge of asthma symptoms and treatments, and failure to avoid asthma triggers were common in the population studied.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1997

Asthma and allergy avoidance knowledge and behavior in postpartum women.

OBJECTIVE: Based on family history, infants may be classified as "high risk" or "low risk" for the development of allergy or asthma. Failure to breast-feed and early exposure to cigarette smoke or aeroallergens increase the risk of developing asthma or allergy. Since we suspect that physicians seldom educate mothers on reducing environmental exposures in the postnatal period, we sought to determine the level of maternal knowledge as well as actual avoidance behaviors with respect to these risk factors in high risk and low risk families. DESIGN: Questionnaire administered by a research assistant. SETTING: Obstetrics unit of two tertiary care general hospitals. PATIENTS: A sample of 194 postpartum women with uncomplicated pregnancies, interviewed after 24-hours postpartum. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) Parental history of asthma, allergy or eczema; (2) potential for infant exposure to environmental risk factors for asthma and allergy, as indicated by history of avoidance practices in the home; (3) parental knowledge of risk factors for asthma or allergy; and (4) physician advise on avoidance. RESULTS: Of 194 women interviewed, a history of doctor-diagnosed asthma, allergy/allergic rhinitis or eczema in either parent was reported by 122 (high risk group). The remaining 72 patients had no history of atopy (low risk group). Of those in the high risk group, 10% of mothers smoked during pregnancy, and about 25% were exposed to second hand smoke on a daily basis. Most of the mothers in the high risk group planned to breast feed (89%). A large number of patients in the high risk group reported potential risk factors for allergy/asthma in their home environments. These included animals in the household (36%), dusty environments (10%) carpeting (47%), cigarette smoke (18%), and others. Despite these risks, only 13% of patients reported being educated by their physicians on improving their home environment. Exposures to environmental risk factors were not different between low and high risk groups. Similarly, knowledge of environmental risk factors and avoidance behaviors were not significantly different between low and high risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: Many mothers whose infants are at high risk of developing asthma or allergies are not aware of and do not practice avoidance of risk factors. Physicians involved in prenatal care of women with a family history of atopy and asthma should offer advice on reducing exposure to potential risk factors and how to modify their environment in ways that can potentially decrease the risk of asthma or allergy prevalence and severity.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Prehospitalization inhaled corticosteroid use in patients with COPD or asthma.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for the treatment of obstructive lung diseases suggest a primary role of inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) in asthma, but only a minor role in COPD. However, surveys of physicians' prescribing habits have suggested that there is little difference in the use of ICs between these two conditions. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of IC use before and during hospitalization among patients with COPD or asthma. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary care university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Adult inpatients, aged 18 or older, with physician-diagnosed COPD or asthma. MEASUREMENTS: Patient-reported prescription drug use at hospital admission, and medical chart record of in-hospital and discharge prescriptions. RESULTS: Of 350 charts reviewed, 102 patients were admitted to the hospital for unstable COPD, 133 patients had stable COPD, 36 patients were admitted with unstable asthma, and 79 patients had stable asthma. At hospital admission, 48% of unstable COPD patients, 26% of stable COPD patients, 56% of unstable asthma patients, and 44% of stable asthma patients reported having a current prescription for ICs. The proportion of all asthmatic patients reporting a current prescription for ICs at admission (48%) was significantly higher than the proportion of all COPD patients receiving an IC at admission (35%). However, there was no significant difference in the proportion of COPD and asthma patients with a current prescription of any form of corticosteroid (oral or inhaled). The proportion of COPD patients likely to respond to IC therapy is significantly different from the observed use at hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of patients found to be using ICs is much higher than the proportion expected to respond. There was little difference in the use of ICs for asthma and COPD patients at hospital admission. Most COPD patients using an IC were receiving the regimen on admission to hospital, indicating that there is need for education in the community and in the hospital regarding use of ICs in COPD patients.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1996

Prior diagnosis and treatment of patients with normal results of methacholine challenge and unexplained respiratory symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research indicates that asthma has been underdiagnosed. However, we suspect that recent widespread attention to the underdiagnosis of asthma has led to an overdiagnosis of asthma in some settings. We therefore sought to examine prior diagnosis and treatment of patients referred to our facility and subsequently found to have no objective evidence of variable airflow limitation. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Hospital-based asthma center. PATIENTS: A referred sample of 263 patients in whom a methacholine challenge (MCC) was conducted after evaluation by our pulmonologists; complete medical histories were available. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prior respiratory diagnoses, duration of treatment with asthma medications, and diagnosis following assessment by our pulmonologists in 175 patients with a provocative concentration of the substance causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PC20) greater than 8.0 mg/mL and 88 with a PC20 of 8.0 mg/mL or less. RESULTS: Of those with a PC20 greater than 8 mg/mL, a diagnosis of asthma or possible asthma prior to the challenge study was recorded by their primary care physician in 129 patients (74%). One hundred sixty of 172 patients (88%) with a PC20 greater than 8 mg/mL were diagnosed as not having asthma by our pulmonologists; 109 of 172 patients (62%) had been previously treated with asthma medication(s). The mean duration of asthma treatment was 25.9+/- 56.3 months, and there was no significant difference in the duration of treatment between this group and those who had a PC20 of 8 mg/mL or less. Most of those treated received inhaled beta2-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids. Approximately 61% received two or more classes of medications. CONCLUSIONS: The misdiagnosis of asthma occurs commonly in the referral practice of a tertiary care asthma center. The more frequent use of objective pulmonary function testing in primary practice might reduce the problem of delayed diagnosis and inappropriate therapy for respiratory symptoms.

Asthma↗