In vitro testing has shown that nicotine may play a role in making cancers more aggressive,1 but the currently available evidence does not suggest that nicotine in itself induces cancer.2 Despite this ...

Introduction Chronic non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has become evidence-based care for stable hypercapnic COPD patients. While the number of patients increases, home initiation of NIV would greatly ...

Background: Chronic cough is a common condition which has a significant impact on quality of life. Assessment and management are hampered by the absence of well validated outcome measures. The ...

Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The effective management of COPD exacerbations awaits a better understanding of the ...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes improve the health of patients disabled by lung disease but their cost effectiveness is unproved. We undertook a cost/utility analysis in conjunction ...

Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The extent to which the excess CVD risk is captured by risk factors in ...

It is customary—albeit perhaps simplistic—to identify four ethical principles as the basis for good medical practice.1 These are beneficence, non-maleficence, respect for autonomy, and justice, ...