News Release

News briefs from the November issue of Chest

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American College of Chest Physicians

ECONOMIC STATUS TIED TO LUNG FUNCTION

New research reveals that a person’s socioeconomic status (SES) may be an important determinant of lung function. After reviewing 20 years of medical literature regarding the relationship between SES and lung function in children and adults, researchers from LDS Hospital and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City found a significant negative correlation between the two, even after adjusting for smoking status, occupational exposures, and race. In some instances, researchers reported reductions of FEV1 of greater the 300 mL in men and 200 mL in women of low SES. This study is published in the November issue of the journal CHEST.

FRACTURE RISK INVOLVING INHALED ß-AGONISTS

Increased fracture risk associated with inhaled short-acting ß-agonists may be linked to the severity of the underlying disease, according to a new study. Researchers from Denmark matched patients experiencing a fracture with three age- and gender-matched control subjects. They found that those patients with chronic diseases, such as COPD and emphysema, had a higher relative risk of fracture vs patients with asthma. They also found that while some bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids were not associated with fracture risk, oral ß-agonists at low doses were associated with fracture, and inhaled short-acting ß-agonists were associated with an increased risk that was not dose-dependent. This study is published in the November issue of the journal CHEST.

###

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.