A UNMC researcher is featured in the current issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
In the NEJM’s March 4 Perspective column, Stephen Rennard, M.D., Larson Professor of Medicine, UNMC Pulmonary and Critical Care Section, outlines the need to increase awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and highlights a promising tool in diagnosing and managing patients with COPD. Dr. Rennard’s Perspective is titled “Looking at the Patient — Approaching the Problem of COPD.”
COPD is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States, and by 2020, is estimated to become the third-leading cause of death, Dr. Rennard said. Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor, but as many as 20 percent of patients with COPD are lifelong non-smokers, he said.
COPD includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis — diseases that are characterized by obstruction of airflow.
In the NEJM article, Dr. Rennard touts the BODE Index, a multi-stage scoring system that incorporates a spirometric measure of airflow with assessment of symptoms, body habitus and exercise capacity. The scoring system provides useful prognostic information, Dr. Rennard said, and will complement spirometry assessments.
The NEJM invites leading researchers to write Perspectives.