COPD - a Twitter summary from the 2012 WSAAI meeting

This summary was compiled from the tweets posted by @MatthewBowdish, an allergist/immunologist, who attended the 2012 Western Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (WSAAI) meeting. The tweets were labeled #WSAAI. The text was edited and modified by me.

Scott Weiss discussed crossroads between asthma and COPD:

80% of all COPD cases have increased airway responsiveness. Dr. Weiss: Discussing the Dutch Hypothesis, the idea that asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis should be considered a single disease.

Predictors of steroid non-response in asthma include: vitamin D deficiency, lack of bronchodilator response and maternal cigarette exposure.

FEV1/FVC ratio is the best predictor whether an asthmatic patient will develop COPD.

The mainstays of COPD therapy are: quit smoking, O2 prolong life if hypoxic, ICS/LABA can be helpful but doesn't change natural history of COPD, antibiotics/oral steroids are for exacerbations.

This summary was compiled from some of the tweets posted by @MatthewBowdish . The tweets were labeled #WSAAI and they reached more than 3,000 people. I would strongly encourage you to post updates on Twitter from the CME conferences that you are planning to attend in the future. Here is how to do it: Twitter for Physicians: How to use Twitter to keep track of the latest news and scientific meetings, and share information with colleagues and patients.

Disclaimer: The text was edited, modified, and added to by me.