It is encouraging that they are finally looking at other disease, commonalities, and correlations with COPD. I would hope that sooner or later they will find a combination of conditions/diseases which can be identified as an underlying cause.
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New hope for lung disease sufferers... in a stomach bug: Bacteria that is common among patients with pulmonary conditions is
detected by a simple breath test and can treated with antibiotics
- The bacteria helicobacter pylori often found in pulmonary disease patients
- It can be detected with a simple breath test and treated with antibiotics
- May point to new ways of tackling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Levels of the bacteria up to three times higher in COPD patients, study finds
Disabling lung disease may be triggered by a common stomach bug, groundbreaking research has found.
The bacteria helicobacter pylori, which is involved in the development of stomach ulcers, has been found to be common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The findings may point the way to new ways of tackling COPD, because H. pylori can be detected with a breath test and treated with antibiotics.
New studies have found that levels of the bacteria are up to three times higher in people with COPD, and one theory is that infection in childhood may affect the growth of the lungs, making them more vulnerable to disease.
The discovery, say researchers, could open up the way for new preventive strategies.
‘Our findings raise the tantalising possibility that early eradication of helicobacter pylori in childhood may enable full development of lungs and reduce the risk of COPD later on in life,’ says Professor Don Sin, head of respiratory medicine, St Paul’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at University of British Columbia, Canada, and senior author of a paper in the medical journal Thorax.
COPD is an umbrella term that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is the fifth-biggest killer and the second most common cause of emergency hospital admissions, and all types lead to severe narrowing and damage to the airways. It affects more than a million Britons
Smoking is the main cause of COPD, but researchers are now suggesting a role for H. pylori. The bacteria was identified in 1982 but genetic studies have suggested it has been present in humans for 58,000 years.
It mainly colonises the stomach, but evidence is accumulating that it is found at other sites too, including the ears, nose, skin and even the eyes.
It is now known to be responsible for stomach ulcers and to increase the risk of stomach cancer. But it has also been linked to a larger number of other diseases, most involving inflammation.
A new research review in the World Journal Of Gastroenterology lists associations with a wide range of diseases, including colon cancer, larynx cancer, lymphomas, rosacea, glaucoma, gall bladder disease, auto immune diseases, iron deficiency anaemia, and several conditions of the skin, ears, nose and throat.
Four new studies have now added to the list by linking the bacteria with COPD. Specialists at Tianjin Medical University in China analysed data on 15,000 people including 2,000 with COPD, and found that H. pylori infection was associated with a twofold increased risk of COPD. In addition, doctors at the University of Jinan-Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, China, gathered data on more than 1,000 people, and showed that those with chronic bronchitis were three times more likely to be infected with the bacteria.
Dr Sin’s study involved about 5,000 patients with mild-to-moderate COPD who were monitored over an 11-year period.
One in five tested positive for H. pylori, and each of these patients had poorer lung function and higher levels of inflammation than those who were uninfected.
And writing in the Medical Journal Of Cairo University, Dr Nahla Khattab and his team say that H. pylori stimulates the release of cytokines, immune system compounds that have an inflammatory effect.
When the infection is eradicated, cytokine levels return to normal.
Dr Khattab suggested: ‘Activation of inflammation by H. pylori infection might be the mechanism of the disease.’
Dr Steve Holmes, medical adviser for the British Lung Foundation, warns: ‘These are interesting studies and have found an association, but that does not mean one causes the others. We have a long way to go before we can say H. pylori is a cause of COPD.’
He added: ‘Having said that, we did not know until 30 or so years ago that stomach ulcers were caused by H. pylori.’
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3199288/New-hope-lung-disease-sufferers-stomach-bug-Bacteria-common-patients-pulmonary-conditions-detected-simple-breath-test-treated-antibiotics.html