help button home button
AJRCCM
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Oba, Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Oba, Y.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 175. pp. 1207, (2007)
© 2007 American Thoracic Society

Correspondence

Hospitalizations with Severe COPD

To the Editor:

In the recent article by Kardos and colleagues (1), it would be important to know if the combination therapy with salmeterol/fluticasone reduced the frequency of COPD hospitalizations compared with monotherapy with salmeterol, since hospitalizations comprise approximately 70% of the total costs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is worth paying attention to the adverse events in this study, especially in the post-Vioxx era. The incidence of suspected pneumonia deemed as severe seems significantly greater with the combination therapy with salmeterol/fluticasone (14 events) than monotherapy (4 events) with salmeterol alone (p = 0.04). Although none of the suspected cases of pneumonia were considered to be related to the study medication by the investigators, it is also important to know how many of those patients required hospitalization and whether those admissions, if any, were included in the number of severe exacerbations.

Yuji Oba

University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri

FOOTNOTES

Conflict of Interest Statement: Y.O. does not have a financial relationship with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject of this manuscript.

REFERENCES

  1. Kardos P, Wencker M, Glaab T, Vogelmeier C. Impact of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate versus salmeterol on exacerbations in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2007;175:144–149.[Abstract/Free Full Text]




This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Oba, Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Oba, Y.

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Proc. Am. Thorac. Soc. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol.
Copyright © 2007 American Thoracic Society