U-Breathe

07/11/2023

Can patients with COPD exercise? Check out this post to find out more.

06/30/2023

This week's post is about asthma triggers at home and how to minimize them.

06/21/2023

What affects home air quality and how to improve it. Check out this post to learn more.

06/11/2023

We continue posting about asthma diagnosis. Methacholine Challenge Test is one of the tests to diagnose asthma.

06/07/2023

Rescue inhalers are used to stop the asthma attack but what it means when used too often? Check out this post to learn about asthma control

05/31/2023

Wildfires are still continuing in Alberta. This week's post is about preventing respiratory disease flare up with worsening air quality.

05/24/2023

This week's post is about tests measuring how strong the breathing muscles are. Check it out

05/17/2023

We are continuing discussion of diagnostic testing at U-Breathe and this week's post is about fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO)

05/11/2023

We are continuing diagnostic test series and this week's post is about arterial blood gas.

05/01/2023

This week's post is about pulmonary function tests (PFTs): what to expect and how prepare for them.

04/25/2023

This week's post aims to provide comprehensive responses to frequently asked questions that are commonly encountered by individuals who have recently been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Furthermore, this resource seeks to offer valuable insights and guidance to aid in the understanding and management of this respiratory condition.

04/17/2023

This week's post aims to provide comprehensive responses to frequently asked questions that are commonly encountered by individuals who have recently been diagnosed with asthma. Furthermore, this resource seeks to offer valuable insights and guidance to aid in the understanding and management of this respiratory condition.

04/09/2023

Breztri has been around for a few years now. In this post we will review how it compares to other inhalers and how to care for the device. Check it out.

04/02/2023

This week's topic is on controversies of ma*****na smoking and asthma. Check it out

03/26/2023

This week's post looks into different conditions associated with asthma.

03/22/2023

This week's post is on occupational asthma: what triggers it and how to prevent it.

03/13/2023

03/07/2023

This week's post is about famous people diagnosed with asthma. Check it out!

02/26/2023

This week’s post covers surgical procedures with asthma which requires general anesthetic. We discuss some of the risks associated and how to prevent them.

02/19/2023

This week's post looks at the effects asthma and pregnancy have on each other. Each pregnancy is different, so if you have questions or concerns, talk to your primary care provider or obstetrician.

02/11/2023

Breezhaler is a device that is used for both asthma and COPD. Today’s post covers the two types of Breezhaler used in COPD, Ultibro and Seebri. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Remember, always wash your hands after handling the pill containing glycopyrronium bromide.

02/08/2023

This week's post gives you an idea of what we do at U-Breathe. From diagnostic testing, to consultations, to novel treatments, we offer a wide variety of services. For a complete list check out our website.

Our clinic is referral based, so if you would like to be seen by our team talk to your primary care provider. You can find our referral form on the website.

02/01/2023

Breezhaler is a device that is used for both asthma and COPD. Today’s post covers the two types of Breezhaler used in asthma, Atectura and Enerzair. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Remember, always rinse your mouth after taking ICS.

01/04/2023

Breztri is a newly approved inhaler in Canada. It is a combination treatment containing the 3 essential components for maintenance therapy for COPD. It uses a new device called Aerosphere.
🫁
We are taking a break from posting for a few weeks. Please keep an eye out for more great contenr we return.

12/21/2022

The team at U-Breathe wishes you a happy Holiday Season. Thank you for a great year. We can’t wait to see where the coming year brings us. Wishing you happiness and peace this winter season!

12/14/2022

Despite many advances in therapeutic options for asthma, many people who suffer from this disease put up with chronic symptoms and suffer acute exacerbations (AE), requiring treatment with oral steroids and visits to emergency rooms and hospitals.
At our journal club we discussed a recently published populational study which assessed the role of exacerbations in declining lung function in adult asthma patients. They used the largest enhanced healthcare database in the UK, which has de-identified data from over 800 general practices serving approximately 12 million patients. The study included 109182 patients with asthma, who had records of follow up for at least 5 years and repeated lung function tests. The median follow up length was 10.4 years.
The researchers evaluated the lung function trajectory in patients enrolled in the study. They evaluated the change in the lung function according to the patient’s age (18-24, 25-39, >40) and annual rate of exacerbations (0/year, >0-1/year, >1-2/year, >2/year).
There was a significant acceleration in lung function decline with every additional exacerbation per year. When the patients were stratified by age at the time of enrollment in the study, the largest effect of AEs on lung function loss occurred in patients aged 18-24 and 25-39. The rate of lung function deterioration in these age groups experiencing 2+AEs/year was 3-6 times greater than in those who did not have any AE.
This large populational study demonstrated that asthma AEs are associated with significant decline in lung function, especially in the younger patients. The authors suggested that earlier intervention with appropriate management of asthma would be of value to prevent excessive decline in lung function.
For the full article, follow the link in our bio.

12/07/2022

This week's post gives an overview of the medications found in the Genuair devices. Turdoza contains only LAMA and Duaklir contains both LAMA and LABA.

If you have any questions about inhalers, feel free to ask them on Friday.

Message for the with business group chat: Hey all, I understand that some of you had more feedback to give on the restructuring and didn’t feel like you had an opportunity to present it.

11/30/2022

Combination therapy for chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is effective in controlling symptoms and preventing exacerbations. There are a number of inhalers available to treat COPD.
At our recent journal club we discussed recently published network meta-analysis, which investigated comparative efficacy and safety of single inhaler, containing three essential components of treatment potent inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) fluticasone furoate and two different bronchodilators long acting beta-agonist (LABA) vilanterol and long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) umeclidinium versus other formulations of these 3 groups of therapeutic agents (ICS, LABA and LAMA)
This network meta-analysis was conducted on the basis of systematic literature review which identified high quality studies performed on COPD patients. Only studies which assessed the effectiveness of different combination therapy by measuring lung function, rate of exacerbations and quality of life of COPD patients were included. Other combinations studied included budesonide, formoterol and glycopyrronium (ICS, LABA, LAMA respectively) and fluticasone propionate, salmeterol and tiotropium.
Single inhaler triple therapy was more effective at increasing the lung function compared to other triple therapy combinations. It was also noted to decrease the rate of exacerbations compared to similar combinations delivered in 2 devices, and compared to budesonide, formoterol, and glycopyrronium.
This study supports evidence that recently developed single inhaler triple therapy devices may have advantages compared to a similar combination therapy delivered by multiple devices. The potency of the components and frequency of administration also play a role and should be carefully considered when choosing appropriate therapy for the individuals suffering from COPD
For the full article, follow the link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35849317/

11/24/2022

This post covers the different types of devices of Advair and Wixela inhalers, which are used for treatment of asthma and COPD. Advair is available as both an L-Shaped or MDI inhaler and a Diskus inhaler. Wixela is a different device called Inhub with the same medications.

If you have any questions feel free to ask them in our Friday Q&As.

11/16/2022

OCS are used to treat exacerbations of asthma and COPD. They are a powerful medication, however they should be avoided if possible. This post covers the short and long term effects of OCS. Usually available treatments help prevent exacerbations and the need for OCS.